iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." — Albert Einstein #writesky #writingcommunity #motivation #inspiration

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong." — F. Scott Fitzgerald #writesky #writingcommunity #motivation #inspiration

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories ... And those that carry us forward, are dreams." — H.G. Wells #writesky #writingcommunity #motivation #inspiration

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#WIPSnips Going for vibes today from Survival Instinct -- Kenneth Andrews has a meddling mother, and Nanette remembers her with hatred, understandably. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“Nan, listen, talk to the girl. And I don’t mean in your sing-song 1950s homemaker way, either. Clean yourself up, stop crying, and just call the girl.”
Nanette could see him now, sleek, shiny, smoking a cigarette outside of his office because Kenneth Andrews didn’t give a shit what other people thought. He never did, except when his bitch of a mother told him to kick her to the curb—and he did just that. Sending Paulina with her because his mother didn’t want anything to do with the trash he’d picked up and kept for a handful of years. Paulie meant nothing to that cold woman, and he didn’t even care.

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Pop Crave @popcrave.com · 23/09/2026

Today is Celebrate Bisexuality Day.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

An interesting read. | "There was formerly a capacity for light-heartedness and play which has been to some extent inhibited by the cult of efficiency." 📷 Cambridge Past, Present & Future (link in alt) #bertrandrussell #idleness #harpers #melirecommends harpers.org/archive/1932...

Portrait of 20th century philosopher Bertrand Russell
Photo via Cambridge: Past, Present & Future
https://cambridgeppf.org/bertrand-russell/

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- Khoda and Seyde being Khoda and Seyde on their hunt for Basalt. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Khoda stopped in front of a rug vendor and leaned down to stop Criseyde on the spot. “You must be dreaming. If anyone cared about Faldor, besides Faldor, at the level that Faldor cares about himself, they would have appeared when he was locked up. I am telling you, again, Seyde, coming after Basalt like this is wasted effort.”
Now Criseyde crossed her arms. “Then why did you come along? If you feel it’s wasted…”
“Because I know how you can be, Seyde, when you get like this.” Khoda extended his hand, open palm, flat to the air, pointing all four of his fingers in her direction, and moved it up and down, as if revealing her entire form to some captive audience. “You need backup, always, and inevitably, it ends up being me.”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday or checked out my Ko-fi yesterday! It's much appreciated, and I had a great day. 💖

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Today's my birthday! 🥳 And it's got me thinking about WIPs and milestones even more than normal. ✍️ It's been rough recently, and I could use your help. Share what keeps you motivated, inspired here or over a cup of coffee ☕💖 #writingcommunity #happybirthday #kofiupdate ko-fi.com/meliswenk

ko-fi.com

Buy MeliSwenk a Coffee

Become a supporter of MeliSwenk today!

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "distracted" -- Sonja and Wilem are telling Monah what Madeline and Evlin think of her display of anger at Tritt with a bit of psychic eavesdropping. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“Madeline is telling Arliss and Josef that her brother gets what he deserves.” Sonja spoke quietly, moving four or five steps ahead of where Wilem and I stood, still connected. “But she, too, is surprised at your display of anger. You seemed so quiet, unsure until then.”
“I was unsure,” I confessed, “until Tritt told me what Faldor is telling people, my citizens, about me. He is lying about half of my lineage to secure a seat of power he wants to abuse.” My gaze held Sonja still, distracted her from her eavesdropping. “I don’t want to abuse my power, but I don’t want to be seen as soft.”
“Oh,” Sonja chuckled dryly, from the center of her chest, “after that, no one who was in that house sees you as soft.”

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𝕯𝖆𝖓🍂🎃🕸️ @arepublic86.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Charlotte Wainwright restoring and saving old/ancient books. www.wainwrightbookbinding.com

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House Democrats @housedemocrats.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Today, our nation remembers the lives lost on September 11, 2001 and honors the survivors, first responders and families whose lives were forever changed. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

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Hook & Quill Press @hookandquillpress.com · 08/09/2026

We're looking for #ARCreaders for @woodenvelt.bsky.social 's Thief of Death! A fun romantasy following a priest of the dead and a thief with a heart of gold, with rich worldbuilding and a delightful cast of characters. Sign up here! forms.gle/rY9zMRSo1uNN... #writingcommunity #booksky

a background of skulls and bones, overlaid with the text Hook & Quill Press is looking for ARC readers for Thief of Death

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- "rig" instantly made me think of our friend Jim, but I'm going for vibes with "constructed." #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

The first set of walls Jim had constructed was flimsy, almost like the temporary walls he’d built during his theatre days in college. He was expecting the girl, Julie, to be much more compliant. He met her at a coffee shop just a couple blocks from his house, right after he’d come back to take over the family homestead. He was thankful that they’d moved into town after he started college.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- using "sighed" -- Ankara thinking of home as she walks through Piatra and watches citizens set up for their annual celebrations. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Ankara shrugged and sighed, suddenly taken by the men testing the tall wooden poles they placed for axe throwing. Nostalgia washed over her, and she smiled at the memories of watching duels and sword fighting back in Taşlar. Women passing favors to the “knights” scheduled to fight in their large arena. The winner drenched in as much blood as he could drink and given as many kisses as he could bear from the woman who gave him her handmade handkerchief. If they weren’t already, they would be married in less than a year. She hugged herself, missing home, and continued to walk through the center of town, heading away from the crowd. This was suddenly the last place she wanted to be.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- using "collapsed" -- Ankara is watching Invelisians set up for their annual celebrations and witnesses the Sons of Faldor's first strike against their own kingdom. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "chipped" -- Monah goes home after Bette passes to determine what to do next and runs into "the network." (Pretty sure I've already shared both uses of "chip" from Bk. 1, so I went with my favorite.) #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Once I got to the house, something felt weird. Worse, it felt like someone was there. My feeling was confirmed when I approached the front door and saw it standing open an inch from the frame. Before going through the large wooden door, I peeked in through the pane of glass in the top half of it. There was no immediate movement, so I took a step back from the door and circled the house on the wrap-around porch. New patches of chipped paint glared as I passed. Last fall had been particularly nasty in terms of rain. Even though I owned it now, it still didn’t feel like something I would have to take care of. Mom had a network of people she called on—the red book. Her version of the Yellow Pages. It’s currently tucked in the top drawer of the dresser in my bedroom. A small, leather-bound book with sewn-in pages. She’d had it as long as I could remember and had always referred to it when we needed something done with the house—from plumbing to painting.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "caress" -- At Doliu's hut, Monah confronted Tritt about his loyalty to Faldor, and her teeth appeared naturally for the first time. Everyone came to see the ruckus. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Evlin’s shock shook me out of my stalking and grounded me so quickly that I landed in the nearest chair.
“Why did you stop her? She needs to know!” Sonja came to my side, taking my shoulder and the arm of the chair in her hands, looking me up and down. “You damn near ate him, didn’t ya?”
Her whispered tones, filled with awe and pure joy, turned my face to hers. “Yep.”
“Did it hurt?”
Her fingers caressing my right cheek soothed in a way I couldn’t articulate. “Yep.” I saw her nod from the corner of my vision.
“They don’t pop like that when you drink from the goblet. I still hurt when I feed, out on the line.”
“Battle line?” Only small words and phrases could move from behind my teeth, where a kind of stiffness had settled.
“Uh-huh,” she confirmed, “you’ll need to feed soon, before lockjaw sets in.”
My hands cupped my jaw and started to rub.
Sonja shook her head. “Nope, that won’t help.”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Rest peacefully, Tim 🖤 You've left us far too early, and you'll never be forgotten. Thank you for all the art, love, and light you shared while you were here. #timcurry variety.com/2026/film/ob...

variety.com

Tim Curry, ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Star, Dies at 80

Tim Curry, who soared to fame in the ‘70s as the flamboyant star of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 80.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- Stella & Gregory are at Rae's dorm room to investigate, and the door is locked. It's early in the morning. They were bound to get someone's attention. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“Hey, people gotta…” A girl’s head appeared in the doorway, and she paled. “Something wrong?”
Stella flashed her badge as he knocked one last time. “I’m Detective Stella Holden, and this is my partner Detective Steven Gregory. Is there someone we can call to get into this room?” Stella repeated her mantra to herself: Don’t get too many outsiders involved, and only give them the information they need. Giving people information they didn’t need often led to panic and chaos. When an officer is calm, clear, and direct, people will often comply basically due to shock. Having the police around is unsettling; it stirs fear, and people don’t respond well. Either they block or they help, and there usually isn’t a middle ground.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Monah spends a lot of time in her own head as a rule, especially when she can't sleep. Here, in part, Mon is considering why she & Joni are just sleeping on what is essentially their last night together. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

I preferred reading books, watching movies, or listening to rock albums to just about any other activity on Earth. Most folks would attribute that to not meeting the right person; to which, I would counter, the ‘right person’ for me simply doesn’t exist.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Monah and Joni are coming to the end of their argument, and Mon's trying to be gentle with her as things move forward. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“They won’t touch my stuff?”
Now I turned to look at her and tried to keep any condescension from my tone. I had to remember that she didn’t know what I knew from the mirror, or from Liena, that I was dealing with these huge conflicts all alone now. All I could think about was the physical comfort she provided me while Mom was fading away. She’d been reliable, loyal, and steadfast—even when I’d been near hysterical and difficult to live with. I tried to infuse my words with kindness and gratitude. “They’ll know what’s mine. You don’t need to worry.” I took the last sip of my wine and got up to head into the kitchen for a refill. “I can confirm with Liena which rooms are mine tomorrow—if that will make you feel better?”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- As tensions mount in Piatra, things grow tense among Monah's inner circle. She feels left out, uninformed; Evlin's kingdom is splitting in two before her eyes. Both want to do something, but neither know what. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“We are merely watching, Princess,” Evlin said softly.
Her gaze landed just to the left of mine. I continued to stand in front of her with my arms crossed. “That can’t be it.”
She glared at me. “No precedent for an infiltration at this level exists, Highness.”
I shook my head and took a step back. I knew that tone. Evlin was getting angry with me, but I was angry too. I was fed up with waiting. Not that I wanted the Sons to attack, but sitting around waiting and “getting prepared” just wasn’t cutting it for me anymore. “You know these people, Ev. More than I do, more than I ever probably will. These are your people. You know each and every boy marching through the streets in Faldor’s colors. You know their parents. Can’t we strategize based on that?”
She shrugged her shoulders and turned completely away from my gaze.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- Radomir is taking full advantage of standing in for Khoda, who's traveling, and goes to see Faldor himself. (Note: Need to edit comma placement to "smaller, man" and Radomir's speech pattern 🫠) #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Radomir marched into the dungeon followed closely by the guard Rykan.
“Sir, Realm Leader, sir, ya can’t…”
“I can and I will, peon. You just called me a what?” Radomir glowed dark under his new power, and everyone saw it as soon as he approached.
“Realms Leader, sir.” Rykan started to take a step back from the aggressive, albeit smaller, man and decided to stand his ground instead. “Rules, sir, there’s still rules.”

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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

New from 404 Media: we solved which AI company is buying massive shipments of rare books, scanning and destroying them to train AI. We put an Apple AirTag in a rare book, followed it. It ended up at an Amazon facility. Its logo is a dinosaur ripping through a book www.404media.co/we-tracked-a...

404media.co

We Tracked a Shipment of Rare Books. It Ended at an Amazon AI Training Facility

We placed a tracking device in a shipment of rare books to see which AI company was buying it, and found an Amazon facility where Amazon scans and destroys books.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Faldor knows Ankara better than anyone, but whenever they talk, they always do this dance now: banter, pivot, banter, strike a nerve, then pull away. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“So, you are only here as an extension of the Turkish covens?”
Ankara turned to face him but gave him no other answer.
“Indeed, stoic as always, Ana. It has been too long. I feel like our rapport has disappeared.”
“No, no, Faldor, not disappeared. Only, well,” she turned toward the lightening horizon and considered all the old myths, the ones that never seemed to apply to her, “altered, slightly, to accommodate our new positions.”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- Stella and Gregory are just starting their work on Rae's disappearance, and Gregory's just trying to enjoy his breakfast. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Stella Holden eyed her desk and tried not to laugh as her partner attempted to consume half a Subway sandwich in one bite.
“No breakfast this morning, Gregory?” Stella chuckled and tried to forget about the cement muffin the cafeteria offered as breakfast this morning. Halloween was always a rough night, and the dawning of All Saints Day did nothing for the hangover.
“Yeah, whatchoo have? A bran muffin?” Gregory slipped the last half of the first six inches between his teeth and chewed obnoxiously.
“Better than slopping mayo, oil, and vinegar all over the place. Are those…banana peppers?” Stella sniffed the air above her head and shook it, scrunching her face up in a mask of disgust. “For breakfast?”
“Better than the bran.” Gregory smiled, chewing contentedly and eying his monitor. “Still waitin’ on the results from the fingerprint and DNA test.”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- Ankara is walking around Invelis observing as the citizens prepare for their annual celebrations. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

To her left, as she walked down the street, a small group of dear friends, Viragians, put the finishing touches on their herbal apothecary, offering love potions, wound healing, spiritual cleansing, and more. She smiled at the novelty of it, how fleeting and temporary, yet jovial, such a station would be among those who had the capacity to provide such services for themselves. Ankara did note, specifically, that not a single tent offered their products or services for a fee. All of it was free, from the opportunity to toss hand-crafted axes for homemade “toys” to that very love potion offered by the giggling friends and neighbors, who now sat down to a bubbling elixir to enjoy their efforts at raising the tent.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Just finished this, and I can't recommend it enough. Compelling combination of autobiography, investigation, and true crime where Stewart explores the concepts of family, forgiveness, and identity. 5⭐️ #melirecommends

Candid image of the cover of Gary L. Stewart's true crime autobiography, The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for my father...and finding the Zodiac killer. Co-written with Susan Mustafa

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 2 -- After Monah discovers that Evlin & Thyberius are keeping things from her, she confides in Ankara. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“An overwhelmed leader is an unclear leader.”
I shook my head and looked right into her beautiful yellow eyes. “I’m only unclear because I don’t have information. I need to be informed so I can plan. Finding things out after the fact doesn’t keep me from being overwhelmed.”
Ankara nodded. “Have you tried telling Lady Evlin that?”
“Why bother telling her that when she has already made it quite clear that she doesn’t trust my self-assessment of what I can handle? I have told her that I need her to keep me informed, and she still treats me like I’m made of glass.” Ankara’s hand found my shoulder.
“In all of this, you are most precious. That I can see. It is clear why she handles you that way.”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "crate" -- Four Sons of Faldor were disrespectful to Brigit's wife Megh while ordering lunch, and she decided to make them pay for it by adding some garlic to their goblets before serving them. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

The dining room was mostly empty when she stepped out with a large wooden crate. The only ones left were the Sons, and Brigit started collecting dishes and goblets from the empty tables. A smile crept along her mouth when one of the boys at the table started to groan.
“Oh, that’s awful.”
“We’ll not be coming back here again.”
“What’s the matter, Robert?”
Brigit recognized the pale one’s voice, and her smile broadened.

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Adam Rawnsley @arawnsley.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Today, August 4, 2026, is the setting of Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” about a fully automated house continuing on after the family who lived there and the world around it died in a nuclear blast.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Pretty sure I've shared this snip before (from Evlin's POV, Monah is waking up after being unconscious), but it's the only use of "thrill" (in any form) in the entire novel. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“Evie,” Monah whispered.
Hearing her name first from her princess’s lips sent a thrill through the center of her heart. “Princess.” She took her hand, and electricity zipped across the surface of her skin. Warming her from the crown of her head to the soles of her feet. Evlin smiled when Monah’s hand cupped the curve of her cheek.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "poked" -- Monah is intentionally starting a fight with Joni because she thinks it will be easier when she leaves if they pick at the scab and let out the infection underneath. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“I can’t fuckin’ believe you right now. On your way out the door, givin’ me advice on how to treat the next one better.” She shook her head, and as she was going to enter the rest of the house, she turned on her heel and pointed her finger in my face. “I treated you perfect, better than I’d ever treated anyone. Carried you ’round like a baby-doll while Bette was sick, didn’t I?”
“That’s what I’d needed, and for the first fucking time, I actually felt confident enough in you to ask it of you. Thanks,” I said, tilting my wine glass toward her and realizing I needed to top off before I got too low.
“Bitch,” she hissed at me as I walked beyond her to get back into the kitchen.
Buttons: people worked like computers, I’d realized, and all you needed to do was push the right buttons. I emptied the bottle into my glass and aimed myself toward the back porch once more until she stopped me with a finger in my chest. She poked me twice before I thought about taking a step back.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "twisted" -- After Monah has been to The Nothing (a space between the living and the dead), Doliu asks what she learned, but what she learns talking to Doliu and Evlin after feels more important. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“Indeed,” the Wise Woman continued, “power can be exchanged, harvested, when it is shared. In fact, the dark boy—”
“Wilem,” Evlin supplied.
Doliu nodded. “—you touched him, did you not?”
Monah nodded. “But how can you know that?”
“It lingers around him, like an aura. Supplementing his aura. He will carry your power as long as he remains open to it.”
“That—” Monah’s head twisted between the two of them. “Is that why I can’t touch Faldor?”
“He could leach from you, just as you could leach from him.”
Monah latched on to Doliu’s revelation. “Will I ever be able to touch him?”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Ankara has kidnapped Monah to get a better read on her, and this is the second stop on Ankara's trip through Invelis with her. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

I recognized the spot where we landed almost instantly. “This is the entrance to Invelis.”
“So you have seen your kingdom, then?” Ankara kept my hands in hers.
A strange heat grew between us, and as much as I wanted to drop her hands, I sensed she needed to repeat the chant from before. “To make us invisible,” I muttered.
“What?” She nearly stood up to her full height, except she realized she would need to drop my hands to do that.
“Oh,” I shook her confusion away with the brief movement of my head, “I just realized what your first chant back there did. You made us invisible.”
“Yes,” she stepped closer to me and chanted before slowly dropping her hold on my hands, “extending my invisibility to you.”
“And I have to be within a certain distance of you now?”
Ankara shrugged. “‘Tis my first attempt in more than a century at cloaking another.”
“Faldor,” I filled in, keeping in step with Ankara as she aimed toward a meadow just inside the stone entrance of the kingdom.
“As a child. We frequently found reason to hide from our parents.”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "calm" -- Later in the day than normal, Evlin is making her way to the city proper and comes across some men arguing at a construction site. She immediately steps in. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“Hey, man, it’s your fault the damned thing fell anyways! Who doesn’t screw the fucking frame to the support beam?” Gregor Markov shouted under a lantern, and the flickering shadows made him look even angrier than he sounded.
“Gregor? Why are you fine fellows still building frames at this time of day?” Evlin tried to sound easy, calm, and get the hard-working men around her to calm down, too.
“Lady Grey, welcome to the site. Just trying to finish this frame before we call it a day.” His demeanor shifted immediately, warm and almost soft-spoken to greet their visitor.
“Sorry, Gregs,” a deeper male voice came up from behind Evlin, “wasn’t thinking straight. Shall we tie her on, then?”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Sonja and Josef talk to Khoda about a scene Radomir caused with one the Elder guardsmen while breaking ground for a new building in the Grey lands. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Josef nodded when Khoda turned to him rather than respond to Sonja. “It’s true, Khoda, Athanasios insisted I do not bring Radomir back to the Grey lands for any kind of work.”
“Then keep him from there. What are you doing here?”
Sonja stepped back up. “Your favorite over there insisted on stomping in here.”
Once more, Khoda turned to Josef for confirmation.
“It’s true,” Josef repeated simply. “And I intend to leave him here. Frankly, Khoda, Radomir is a nuisance. He works hard, surely, but his attitude is shit.”
Sonja did a double take and nearly let her laughter out once more. This was the second time in less than a couple hours that Josef was about to lose his cool.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- using "dashed" -- Jim met Julie in line at the coffee shop. They started talking about her current writing project. He knew exactly how to get her to his place. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“I really have to be somewhere,” Julie lied.
He felt her lie and had a special response. “I just want to show you the picture, Julie, and then you can be on your way. I’ll even drive you wherever you need to go, if you want me to. I’ve got a copier at my house. I can make a copy of the picture for you to take with you.”
Julie looked back at the storefront and felt their ignorance of her. There would be no assistance from any of the patrons inside the store, even if she shouted. She knew this, felt this somehow.
“So, what do you say?” Jim held out his hands, palm up, in a gesture of welcome and surrender; as if to show Julie he had nothing to harm her with rather than saying it. He sensed her pulling back, and then he smiled. If she turned on her heel and dashed away from him right now, she might get away, and he thought he saw that in her eyes. A brief twinkle of hope, but his warm smile stopped her.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Faldor and Ankara discuss the force of energy that passed through Piatra when Monah sang the scrolls for the first time. Faldor won't admit what he knows, and Ankara never gives up information. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“You picked up nothing about it? You are usually quite adept.”
“In my panic, in my being taken off guard, you are going to accuse me of, what, Faldor?” She stepped back from him, straightening her clothes, her stature.
“No accusation, Lady, just surprise that you do not already know.”
“Surprise? Are you looking for answers?” Ankara started to step away from him when she heard thunderous footfalls in the hallway leading up to this room. “Usually, you are quite adept.”
“And so,” he stepped forward to look over her shoulder at the door behind her, “we have reached this point in our tiresome circle of conversation. Where you hand my words back to me, Ana? Where you pry information out of me? When I try to ask you for it directly.”
“And you were so chivalrous, offering me comfort in my time of need,” Ankara stated. “Now you are openly accusing me.” She stood back from him and aimed herself toward the door he still watched. “You are about to have company. Company I do not want to be part of. We will cross paths again, Faldor King, for I am not leaving this city now. Not now that I know a force of that strength is here.”
“Strong,” he spat incredulously in her direction as she turned from him and walked through the doors.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "divined" -- Faldor loves insulting Evlin & Thyberius; he believes he's so far above them, not just as their king. Evlin can handle the slurs, but she won't let him insult her mother in the same manner. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“All is well, Father, that word damages nothing of the effort and sacrifice I give my kingdom, my home.” She glared at Faldor now. “I am not the only of my kind. You do well to remember my mother was a beloved advisor to your beloved father and died in that same crusade. Decrying the power I have is decrying hers. I will not have you befoul her efforts no matter which crown you put on your head, Your Highness.” She did her best not to spit the honorific at him.
King Faldor sent his hand through the space between them as if she were an opponent to be staked through the heart. The fingers of his left hand wound in what locks of hair he could grab and pulled her face toward his. “If your change was not divined by the Seers, I would take you right now.”

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "acquired" -- At the end of an argument between Evlin and Faldor, she reminds him of who she is and how his threats don't frighten her. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“I have no fear for the security of my position. My lineage transcends time, Your Royal Highness, and most especially your puritan authority. This is my land, all of me, Your Royal Highness, and no matter how far I go, or for how long, this will always be my land.”
Faldor growled into the enchanted glass and swiped his hand over it to return its reflective nature.
Evlin turned toward the center of the office and let loose a frustrated, feral screech. Normally, she could turn inward and find some kind of peace, some kind of warmth. But the liberties her king was taking in discouraging her lineage was just enough to make her feel manic, nearly out of her head. As much as she wanted to, Evlin would do nothing more than organize her desk before she went home. It was her king’s directive, after all. In about an hour, she had her edicts and scrolls organized with the most recent messages staring her right in the face. She only had to write six scrolls in response to the stack she’d acquired. And she’d pull Sonja up on the mirror and postpone collecting the day’s reports to tomorrow night. Not that she had expected many updates beyond recruitment numbers and military statistics.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- using "rushed" -- A few close moments from the very first time Evlin and Monah met face to face. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“Your skills lean much in another direction. You, Highness, are a natural-born leader.” Evlin reached her hand out slowly to rest it against my forearm.
Where she’d hesitated before, she thoughtfully touched me now; and in just a few seconds, the hairs on my arm stood straight up. Heat rushed through me, made me feel as if I were on fire, but not burning. Merely glowing. At that exact moment, Joni came back through the kitchen’s threshold and grunted to see us sitting so close together. Evlin’s voice had gotten much softer when Joni vacated the room, and I’d inadvertently gotten closer to hear her. Joni sat next to me, and I nearly pulled back from Evlin’s touch except that, much like a barbed electric fence, I couldn’t; I was stuck in the loop of her power.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Just for my BlueSky followers! 🔥 Summer Sizzle 🔥 Deal: 50% off! Proofreading & Beta Reading services for books over 10k words Available from July 15 to September 30 DM w/ word count & genre - Let's connect! #writesky #writingcommunity #authors

Open-faced book lays in the middle of bright green grass with a loose leaf laying on top of it. The caption says: Beta Reading, Copy Editing, Proofreading - MeliSwenk Editing

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- Evlin is discussing the orientation of a new recruit with Faldor during a meeting where the king is trying get different information from her and her father. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

“The start of the process,” Evlin nodded, “as the final phase approached, Arliss of the Farms took control. Sending this newest recruit to the Farms Realm was most appropriate as construction and stone work are his greatest talents.” Speaking from her wheelhouse, Evlin stood taller, spoke more quickly and clearly, and acted as if a new barrier had been erected between her king and her deeper, more conflicted thoughts.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Survival Instinct -- Just after lunch on Day 1 of Rae's (aka Paulina) capitivity, Jim is looking for a microphone he can put in her room to make communication a little easier. She isn't at all like the others. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Needing no time for the dishes, Jim moved into the informal living room—decked out with comfy furniture and a large-screen TV—and approached the large shelves he’d designed specifically for this room. Built directly into the wall, the space behind a disguised, hinged door was deep and big enough to be a hallway coat closet. Lined with white utility shelves, it was nothing short of organized chaos. Various electronics and long-distance communication devices were stored on the top shelves. Bedding, air mattresses, and camping gear were out of the way, on the bottom shelves and off to the left. Decorative pillows and living room miscellany were stored in the middle shelves off to the right, and extra pillows and woolen blankets were stored on the second shelf to the left. Moving into the center of the room, Jim pulled the metal chain to click on the single, dangling light bulb above him. He was looking for a specific microphone that would connect to one of the cameras in Paulina’s room. Getting into the room while she slept would be easy; it was just a matter of waiting.

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MeliSwenk Editing @lousytshirt.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

#WIPSnips from Monah Bk. 1 -- I'm pretty sure I've shared this confrontation between Thyberius and Faldor before, but it's one of my favorite Thyberius moments, and it was the first scene I thought of when I saw this word. #writesky #writingcommunity #queerwriters #writingprompts

Thyberius’s grim smile stretched his sharp features. “It is precious, indeed.” Once more, Thyberius brought his height to loom over his king’s son. “If any harm comes to Wilem of the Ancients, I will personally see to it that you pay for it.” His finger once more filled the space between them, and Faldor merely glared at it. “Strip my title, rob me of my home, and then you will have to explain your paranoia to the court—for I have done no overt wrong except to remind you of your rightful place.” Thyberius stepped back from the thrones of his fellows, and just before leaving the throne room, he turned back to attack Faldor once more. “Disrespect my daughter in front of me or from the inside of your mind once more,” Faldor’s eyes shot up to meet his in wild wonder, “and I will take your head off myself—Aleksander’s son or not.”

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