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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 6h

Swarmed by something that probably isn't insects but is definitely insectile in another dimension... From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Or maybe not insects; Poe had taken time in the middle of the chaos of everyone jumping awake to the new crawling hordes to say something about the number of legs and them not being insects – but certainly insectile at the least. Honestly, Tennyson couldn’t care less if they were insects or just some creepy crawly sentient buttons. There were too fucking many of them, and most of them could fly, and they seemed drawn to humans like moths to a flame. Worse, Tennyson could swear they were working together, like some crazy hivemind.
So far, none of them had bit or stung Tennyson, but he wasn’t going to give them the chance to try. What he wouldn’t give for a can of fucking Raid.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Multiverse wildlife can be colorful 😅 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

“Why are you such a baby about disinfectant and bandages?” Cora asked, clearly amused. “You injure yourself all the time and don’t seem to mind – climbing injuries, scrapes and bruises, that time you played with that weird pink lizard otter thing until it bit you. You had no problem at all rolling around in glass shards until you were sliced to ribbons, but as soon as we had to pull the glass slivers out of your skin and bandage you up, it was like we were torturing you.”
“He had no complaints at all about being thrown off the back of a dinosaur and into a tree but wailed like a toddler as soon as I had to stitch up the resulting cut,” Byron added, gesturing to the fading scar at Kip’s hairline.
“Because sitting still makes everything hurt ten times as much!” Kip complained.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I think Byron might like Cora's dress 🤭 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Cora stepped back far enough for him to get a look at her, and for a moment his mouth went dry. No innocent sundress for her this time. Cora had on a skin-tight black dress, slashed to show peeks of neon green and blue beneath, with her black motorcycle boots and a cropped black leather jacket. The dress hugged her curves, and ragged slices through black and green fabric showed hints of skin and cleavage at the chest. The hem nearly reached her knees, and her toned legs looked sleek and pale in comparison to the dark dress. It made him want to run hands over every inch of her.
“Like what you see?” she asked, flashing him the kind of smile that already knew the answer.
“You’re amazing,” he said.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Happy Wednesday! And time for a new weekly #WritingPrompt! 💜 What do you think of this one? What kind of ideas does it give you? What kind of scene or story would it inspire you to write? Share your ideas below! 🥰 #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingInspiration

Decorative leaf wreath with writing prompt text: Use the following words in a sentence or paragraph: abashed, rustic, melt, sate, humor, internalize. @NicoleLSoperGorden

Cover art for Speculative Story Seeds: 300 Writing Prompts to Inspire by Nicole L. Soper Gorden. Writing prompt book out now! Available as an ebook or paperback.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Poor Poe - his first time meeting Annie's parents is not going well and it's not even his fault 😅 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Dinner with Annie’s family was painfully awkward – the most awkward meal Poe could imagine.
The food was good. Crispy salmon and rice, various vegetables and salads as sides. The tension was sure to be bad for digestion, though.
Annie’s mom sat Poe and Annie across the big dining room table from one another instead of seating them next to one another. Poe wasn’t exactly sure what Annie’s mom thought she was preventing – hand holding at the dinner table? – but he regretted the arrangement mostly because it put him next to Malik, who still seemed determined to glare holes right through Poe’s body. Annie’s brother didn’t say a single word to Poe through the entire meal, and spent most of his time skewering fish and carrots on his fork with entirely more force than was necessary.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It wasn't Kip's fault, but it wasn't coffee either - Poe's outside to try to escape an impending panic attack caused by his persistent imposter syndrome 😅 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Poe?” Kip stuck his head out the door, a look of mild concern on his face. “You ok?”
Poe clenched his fists to hide his shaking hands. He nudged the water back near the fire, as if heating it had been his entire reason for coming outside in the first place. “Yeah. Just making more coffee.”
“Sweet.” Kip paused a second, then came fully outside to lean against the brick wall near Poe. “Was I being a handful again? Sorry. I can’t always help it.”
Poe sighed, shaking his head fondly. “You’re always ten and a half handfuls, Kip,” he said without any bite. “But I really was just coming to make coffee.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Kip learns more about the federal mandate matches in a dimension they visit (hint - it's pretty awful 😬). So no, Kip hasn't been living under a rock, just in a different dimension 😂 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“You don’t know much about how the mandate matches work, do you?”
“Should I?”
She snorted. “Typical man answer. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the clout the mandate gives to matches, the way no other social contracts matter anymore, and neither does autonomy.”
Kip blinked at her, uncomprehending, and she narrowed her eyes.
“What, have you been living under a rock?”
“Maybe,” he said with a sheepish grin.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

As a botanist, I'm kind of apalled at how few uses of the world "petal" I have in this WIP so far 😂 On the other hand, this is a great excuse to share this soft moment 💜 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

“Kip?” Camden said into the dark between them, as soft as rose petals.
“Yeah?”
“What you said on the water tower…did you mean it? Do you really want to kiss me?”
“I never joke about kissing,” he said with a broad smile. “But I also never kiss where it’s not wanted, so don’t worry.”
“What if…” He turned away again, and there was just enough reflected light to tell he was blushing. “What if it is wanted?”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Tennyson has an encounter with someone who doesn't know how to take "no" for an answer. 😬 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

“I don’t fucking owe you anything, Leo.”
Leo growled, then almost without warning, swung a fist into the wall only inches from Tennyson’s head. Tennyson’s pulse jumped, even though he managed not to. Leo pulled back, shaking his fist. The wall kept a dent of his knuckles on its surface.
“Don’t expect me to crawl back to you a second time, Tennyson. It’s now or never.”
Tennyson forced his face into a look of disdain, hoping it would be armor enough against Leo’s anger. “You think awfully highly of yourself. I’m not interested in anyone who can’t take no for an answer.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yeah, that was a pretty bad joke (I laughed anyway lol) From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Sighing again, Tennyson closed the distance between them and knelt to help. Rolling the hem up, he could see just how swollen Emmanuel’s foot had become – not just the ankle, but the entire foot too. It looked twice the size it should, and bruises were already starting to purple the skin. It looked extremely painful, and Tennyson had to suppress a moment of queasiness at seeing the injury.
“I didn’t know a sprained ankle could turn me into a cryptid,” Emmanuel said, obviously attempting humor. Tennyson stared at him blankly until he added with a sheepish grin, “You know, because I’m a big foot now?” He wiggled the toes of his injured foot in emphasis.
Tennyson snorted a laugh before he could stop himself. “That was awful,” he said, shaking his head.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

OMG Kip can't you keep your feet on the ground for five minutes at a time? (No, he cannot 😑) From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Kip thought it was exceedingly unfair that Byron felt the need to march him into the building by a grip on his collar. It’s not like he had done anything wrong. Or at least, nothing too wrong.
Ok, there had maybe been some police involved, but they’d mostly just yelled at him through one of those megaphone things. One of them had maybe threatened to arrest Kip, but he didn’t think she’d actually follow through. The building security guard that had threatened to have them all thrown off the premises was a little more worrying, but he’d gotten his feet back on the ground before that threat needed to be handed out.
The whole thing was so very much not a big deal. He’d only been endangering himself, after all. And really, if they didn’t want people climbing that two-story tall metal gazelle statue, they shouldn’t have made it so darn climbable, right?

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Decorative leaf wreath with writing prompt text: The tattoo only glowed in the presence of radiation. @NicoleLSoperGorden

Cover art for Speculative Story Seeds: 300 Writing Prompts to Inspire by Nicole L. Soper Gorden. Writing prompt book is out now! Available as an ebook or paperback.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I just really like this snippet - it says a lot about all four brothers in one image. 💜 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Weak light came through the broken windows of the fire station, highlighting floating dust and all the mess they didn’t clear well enough in the dark the night before. On the cement floor just to the right, at the edge of the garage space, his three brothers slept on. Tennyson, closest to the door, was on his side with the sleeping bag pulled up completely over his head until he looked like nothing more than a nylon a cocoon. In the middle, Kip sprawled like it was his job to take up the space of any three normal people, arms and legs all sticking free of the sleeping bag’s sleeve and splayed akimbo. Poe was curled up into a tight ball facing away from the others, almost hugging his knees to his chest in his sleep, black hair hiding his face.
Byron looked at them, his chest hurting. His brothers. They all looked so young in sleep, tucked into sleeping bags in the middle of a giant cement floor mapped with cracks from age and smeared with dirt they’d tried to sweep away. Byron had screwed up, and now they were in danger. He tried to swallow past the ache rising from his chest and into his throat. He wouldn’t let anything happen to them. He couldn’t.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Two Poe and Annie snippets in a row 💜 Here, Annie is teaching Poe how to dance to distract from stressful circumstances. From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Do you want to try contemporary dance again, or would you rather learn something more structured this time?” she asked.
“Structured, maybe?” He liked rules and structure, after all. Maybe that would come easier to him, if he knew what he was supposed to be doing.
“Three-count or four-count? Or no preference?”
“We don’t even have music.”
“We’ll make do,” she said with a hum.
“Uh. Three, I guess? Three is a prime number, and structurally strong. Used in structural engineering a lot. Maybe I’ll be less likely to trip if we use a structurally strong rhythm.”
“See, this is why I like you,” Annie said with a chuckle.
“Because I’m afraid of tripping?”
“Because you’re practical! Normally people say things like ‘three sounds lucky’ or ‘I like the number four.’ Your answer is at least thought out.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Poe "constantly in a state of mild panic" Atlas, everyone 😂 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Poe paused in stirring his breakfast, thinking back to what they had been talking about before Leo tackled him – and froze. So much had happened since then, and they were in an entirely different dimension now. He had nearly forgotten Annie saying she liked him, and him blurting out that he thought he was asexual, like a complete idiot.
He shoved a giant bite of his breakfast scramble in his mouth, trying to delay needing to talk with Annie about that. Why hadn’t he agreed to dance with her instead? It couldn’t possibly be more embarrassing than this.
Annie seemed to catch some of his panic. “It’s ok if you don’t like me back,” she said gently. “I just thought you deserved to know, especially since it led to me making you dance in front of so many people. But it doesn’t mean you’re required to like me. Or even say anything about it if you don’t want to.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Byron just casually having a meltdown over liking Cora and thinking he won't ever be able to be with her because they have to leave her dimension eventually... 🥲 From Bryon's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“So…not necessarily leaving forever,” Byron mumbled, lost in thought. Then he shook his head. “Asking Cora to leave her entire world behind is still a big ask, even if it’s not forever. We just met barely a week ago.”
“You’re afraid she’ll say no,” Tennyson observed, and Byron’s gaze snapped to him like the taller boy had slapped him.
“Of course I am. She doesn’t even believe we’re from another dimension. Why would she agree to leave this world with us when she just thinks we’re all crazy?”
“Byron Frederick Atlas,” Tennyson admonished. “Get that defeatist attitude out of here. Are you fucking in love or not? You make her believe.”
“How?” Byron sounded so lost and hollow with that one word, Poe wanted to shrivel up and blow away on the next wind. How could he help?

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

At this point in the story, Tennyson still doesn't trust Emmanuel at all, but that has more to do with his own personal hangups than Emmanuel... 😅 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“One more question,” Tennyson said, tearing free of Byron’s grip. “What kind of human rights non-profit do you work for?” He spat the question almost like an accusation and waited to see Emmanuel flinch.
But he didn’t. Instead, he sighed, setting the coffee down on the counter.
“It’s called Voice for Choice. It’s a national movement focused on lobbying against the Human Genetics Maintenance Mandate and advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights. I’ve been volunteering there since I was 16.”
There was a beat of silence. The answer was so unlike anything Tennyson had expected, he had a moment of complete paralysis. He had been so sure the nonprofit angle was something weird or shady, something that would show Emmanuel’s true nature. And instead, it sounded like it might actually be a worthwhile cause.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Byron and Cora talking about Tennyson's situationship with Emmanuel (and whether they should meddle) 😂 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Byron made a face. “Tennyson seems particularly volatile today.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Cora said dryly, tugging him upstairs to get their jackets. She looked over the railing in the general direction of the dining room and kitchen, then lowered her voice. “When do you think Tennyson and Manny will finally figure things out?”
“No idea. But I have no plans to meddle, either.”
Cora made a thoughtful noise as they entered their guest room, and Byron groaned.
“You’re not planning to meddle, either, are you?” he asked, digging out a light jacket and a tote bag from his backpack.
She made the thoughtful noise again, which worried Byron. She must have noticed, because she laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t meddle. But you have to admit Tennyson would be a lot more bearable if he would just get laid already.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Tumbling down a cliff with your hot sorta enemy is not a recommended activity for a first date--er, I mean interdimensional travel experience. 😅 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

There was a semi-distant yelp, then a series of crashes and thuds that had Tennyson on his feet faster than was wise, looking up the nearly vertical part of the rock cliff face towards where the sounds came from. Looking up when he was already dizzy was also not particularly smart. He caught his balance against a half-dead tree, willing his vertigo to clear just in time to see Emmanuel tumble down a steep slope and roll almost to his feet, his backpack sliding down the cliff behind him.
“Emmanuel?” he asked, kneeling by the boy. “Are you ok?”
Emmanuel let out a pained groan. “Ow.”
“Are you hurt?” Tennyson was patting Emmanuel down, checking for bleeding injuries or broken bones, worried he was severely hurt when he realized Emmanuel was wheezing a laugh. “What?” he demanded.
“I knew you cared,” Emmanuel said, grinning.
Then he grimaced in pain and passed out.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Happy Wednesday! Time for a new weekly #WritingPrompt! 💜 What do you think of this one? What kind of ideas does it give you? What kind of scene or story would it inspire you to write? Share your ideas below! 🥰 (Psst. My writing prompt book is out now!) #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingInspo

Decorative leaf wreath with writing prompt text: Write a story from the POV of someone who is colorblind. @NicoleLSoperGorden

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Tennyson learns Poe is a better brother than he is 😅 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“I just hate making a spectacle.”
“That’s obviously a lie,” Poe added. “I’ve seen you on the court often enough, hotshot.”
“Fuck you. You never come to my games.”
Poe flinched, then frowned. “I go to a completely different school, Tennyson. But you know they stream your games online, right? I didn’t miss a single one of your games last year.” Then Poe turned away, stretching his stride to catch up with Jocie and leave Tennyson behind.
“Well fuck me,” Tennyson muttered under his breath. “Is he telling the truth?”
“Yup,” Byron said. “He actually called me when your first game of the season coincided with an exam, asking for advice about still watching you play. I pointed him to the streaming page.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

It's release day! 🎉🎉🎉 My book of writing prompt is officially out today. Make sure to check it out! All proceeds benefit Worldsmyths, an online writing community and nonprofit publisher focused on helping new authors - a group I believe in strongly! 💜 #WriteSky #WritingPrompt #BookRelease

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I'm kind of with Byron here... 😅 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Not that that had worked out great for Byron, but still.
“Well?” Tennyson demanded, dropping his own heavy backpack next to Byron’s with a groan. “Aren’t you going to call them? Or at least the nerd – he’s most likely to answer his phone.”
“I don’t get great service here,” Byron admitted, raising his phone over his head again to look for signal.
Tennyson rolled his eyes. “With that ancient brick of yours? No wonder. When’s the last time you upgraded your phone?”
“This one still works,” Byron said defensively. “Why would I spend money on a new one?”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Benefits of a trade economy? 🤭 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“List?” Cora asked, hand out.
Byron stuck a hand in his pocket, pulling the paper free and handing it over. “I don’t have a lot of money,” Byron admitted. “I’m not sure how I can pay for these things.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cora said, unfolding the list. “Diego owes me.”
“Seems like you have all kinds of people who owe you.”
“Benefits of a trade economy,” she said with a grin. “And now you’ll owe me too.”
Byron bit his tongue before he could say she already owned all of him.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I swear, the more stressful the situation, the worse Poe is at taking care of himself... Good thing Annie's around 💜 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

“Shoulder,” Annie said, then one of her hands slid along his shoulder, warm and comforting. Poe hadn’t realized he was already holding himself so coiled and tight, and made a conscious effort to relax under her touch instead. “I’ll help,” she said. “However I can. I can check math or talk things through with you – whatever you need. But first.” Her other hand deposited the meal she had prepped for him before on the desk in front of him, a spork already protruding from its top. “You need to eat.”
“No time,” Poe said automatically, picking up the meal packet and intending to move it aside, but Annie’s hand gently took his wrist before he could.
“Eat,” she said again. “You won’t be able to think as well or work as hard if you’re starving. Feed your brain and it will work more efficiently. You should have more water, too.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Finding out your interdimensional doppelganger uses a different name than you can be disorienting (but so can meeing your interdimensional doppelganger - or finding out they're dead 😅) From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Because my DNA is different than the Byron Atlas of this world’s DNA was five years ago. Or the Freddie Atlas, I guess.”
“Freddie?” Kip asked. “You have never once in your life gone by the name Freddie.”
“Apparently this dimension’s version of me did. He was named Frederick Byron Atlas instead of Byron Frederick Atlas.”
“Are all of our names swapped here?” Kip asked. “Is this dimension’s version of me named William? Or Billy or something?”
“Please say my double has the sense not to allow people to call him Jimmy,” Tennyson grumbled. “James…would be tolerable, I suppose.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Decorative leaf wreath with writing prompt text: She liked to collect things: teacups, maps, bundles of herbs, shiny rocks, human voices. @NicoleLSoperGorden

Image of Speculative Story Seeds: 300 Writing Prompts to Inspire by Nicole L. Soper Gorden. Writing prompt book coming September 21 - pre-orders open now!

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Darn those diligent cops, anyway! From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

It was just their luck that they jumped into a dimension where the police were diligent about their job, Poe mused.
“Yup,” Kip said. “I can still see the cop car lights reflecting off the windows of the buildings over there. They must still be there.”
“You said that five minutes ago,” Poe said. “Now get back from the edge before someone sees you.”
“It was ten minutes ago, at least,” Kip said. He sat down on the roof, still near the edge but now low enough that no one from below would be able to see him over the raised ledge around the exterior of the roof. “And it’s been hours,” he added.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

"Killjoyest" is totally a word, right? 🤭 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“You two need to talk with each other, have an actual conversation where you listen to each other instead of just talking past each other. Otherwise it’s going to fester and sour your whole relationship.”
“We don’t have time for—” Byron started saying.
“That’s not how we—” Kip started at the same time.
They both stopped, looking at each other. Byron rubbed at his temples, as if he might have a headache. Kip itched to run off and find something to climb. Literally anything in the world sounded better than a serious conversation with his oldest and killjoyest brother. He’d rather give up marshmallows for the rest of his life! Or…well, at least the rest of the month.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Something a little spicy this time 🤭 This is about as spicy as things get on the page, though what happens behind closed doors is another matter entirely... From Kip's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“You evil woman,” he managed.
Ash laughed, wiggling against him until he was whimpering and half delirious with need. He had never regretted wearing clothes so strongly as he did now.
“Don’t distract him too much,” Rowan said. The mattress shifted as Rowan moved to Kip’s head, leaning forward to snag the handcuffs and haul them up over Kip’s head once more. A second later, Rowan was kneeling on the mattress, one knee holding the chain of the cuffs down and keeping Kip immobile.
“But I like distracting him,” Ash said, shifting against Kip again.
“I like being distracted,” Kip gasped. “Please distract me.”
“Conversation first, distractions later. Scooch back, Ash, or we’ll never get a coherent sentence out of him.”
“Aw, ruin my fun,” Ash said, mock pouting.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

Some in media res action this time. No context, because I'm feeling mean 😂 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

He flicked his wrist, opening the baton. Then he threaded the metal rod through the door handle. He barely had the baton in place before someone yanked on the door from outside, trying to open it. The noise surprised Poe so much he staggered back a step and could have fallen down the stairs if Byron hadn’t caught him.
But the baton held. The door rattled, but it couldn’t be pulled open from the outside with the baton wedged in place. Poe let out a breath.
“Smart thinking,” Byron said, and Poe let his brother tug him down the stairs this time. “Now, what room did you say we’re looking for?”
“212a. Do you think…” Poe double checked the safety was on the gun he still carried, then held it out to Byron. “Do you think you could take this? I’ve had enough gun for one day.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

I don't envy Byron (or anyone else) the exhausting job of trying to keep Kip in line... 😅 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Gremlin inbound,” Poe called as Kip ran the last fifty feet up the trail, already smiling like nothing could possibly go wrong. And he was barefoot.
“Kip, where are your boots?” Byron asked, already exhausted by his youngest brother’s antics.
“Don’t worry, I have them!” Kip said, turning to show off the boots and socks that were tied to the outside of his backpack, dripping onto the trail behind him.
“How the fuck did you get them sopping wet already?” Tennyson asked.
“Well, see, there was this broken culvert, and this really awesome tree that Poe wouldn’t let me climb, and a bright red salamander, and an extremely cute boy who winked at me…”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Kip, being as helpful as usual 😂 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Forget Kip,” Tennyson said. “I will literally grovel on my hands and knees to whichever of you has enough cash to buy me a coffee. Except you, Poe – though I will refrain from calling you a friendless loser for 30 whole minutes in exchange for twenty bucks.”
“I have some cash,” Cora said, still obviously amused. “Let’s see how good your grovel game is.”
“We don’t even know what they use for currency in this world,” Byron reminded them. “They might use Euros or Pesos or magic butterfly coins to pay for things.”
“Or strings of rat teeth!” Kip added, unhelpful as usual. “Ooh, or maybe they trade in scalp massages, like that coffee shop in dimension +3!”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

I apparently have one and only one use of the word "rig" so far. Enjoy this snippet of Poe talking to a kid in a very suspicious dimension (he thinks Poe's glasses let him see ghosts 😂). From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Ghosts aren’t real,” Poe said.
The boy looked like he couldn’t quite decide whether to believe Poe or not. Not that Poe needed to win the belief of a twelve-year-old from another dimension. Poe looked back into the well, trying to find a way to get water from what must be at least ten feet deep without jumping in. He could rig something. It wouldn’t be hard, even, but he’d need supplies from his backpack, over where Tennyson and Manny were…kissing or whatever they decided to do with their privacy.
“Use the dipper,” the boy said, then reached into the well from the other side to pull a long wooden pole with a carved wooden bowl attached at the end, clearly made for dipping water out of the well. It had been hanging from a nail inside the well to stay out of the weather, more or less, though there were signs of early algae and lichen growth in the damp wood. Still, it would work for Poe’s purposes. A few extra biologicals wouldn’t hurt things.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Decorative leaf wreath with writing prompt text: When the man from the future offers you his business card - take it. @NicoleLSoperGorden

Writing Prompt Book - coming September 21! Pre-orders open now! Cover art of Speculative Story Seeds: 300 Writing Prompts to Inspire by Nicole L. Soper Gorden.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Poe is great at research and not great at people - Tennyson got that much right at least, even if he could have been nicer about how he said it 😅 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Do we even know enough about the event or its security to try to make a plan?” Byron asked. “We don’t know the building or the entrance points or anything else.”
“Let’s set the genius on research,” Tennyson said. “It’s what Poe does best, outside of annoying us all with numbers and constant reminders of his mental superiority.”
“What’s he supposed to do? Sneak around the convention center to look for ways in?” Manny asked.
“He could talk to people who’ve attended before,” Cora suggested.
“Maybe not, then,” Tennyson said. “Poe is fucking rubbish at talking to people.”
“I’m right here,” Poe said, clearly annoyed.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Kip has accrued an interesting collection of skills (mostly out of boredom)... 😂 From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“But Byron,” Kip said. “I thought you wanted to get to the next floor?”
Byron blinked, then frowned. He ducked out of the elevator to find Kip holding the door to the stairwell open as if it had never been locked in the first place.
“How…?”
Kip spun one of his lockpicks between his fingers with a grin. “Never know when a set of lockpicks will come in handy, eh?”
Byron almost kicked himself. How had he forgotten Kip’s propensity for breaking and entering? “Nice work, Kip.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

From Kip's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse - that's right, the fourth and final arc is officially in progress! 🙌🙌🙌 #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Are the inhabited dimensions always so few and far between?” Evans asked.
“Unfortunately,” Kip said, sighing dramatically.
“Count yourself lucky we haven’t run across a slime dimension since you joined the party,” Cora added with a shudder. “I’d really like to get a new bra while we’re in a civilized dimension, though. My last one was a casualty of that dimension with all the blue sand.”
“How does sand ruin a bra?” Annie asked.
Cora smirked at Byron, who immediately started blushing, and Kip suddenly wanted to hear the entire story that he was sure Byron would never tell them.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Yet another attempt to keep Kip busy and out of trouble for a while... From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

“Ooh,” Kip said, scurrying over to snatch them. “Can I draw a mustache on Tennyson?”
“Try it and I’ll strip the skin from your body with a spoon,” Tennyson said, eyes still closed and confirming Poe’s suspicion that he wasn’t actually sleeping.
“You’re no fun,” Kip said, sticking his tongue out at Tennyson’s supine form. He cast his eyes around, gaze catching on the white paneled sides of the rooftop air conditioner units. “My canvas,” he said, picking the AC unit closest to the other side of the rooftop.
Poe considered objecting to his graffiti, but he had no better options for where Kip might use the markers, other than his own precious notebooks, and that wasn’t happening. Besides, what did it matter if some rooftop air conditioner had Kip’s doodles on them, lewd or otherwise? It was unlikely anyone would even see them, and even if they did, graffiti had to be fairly common in a city.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The twins have always been close, despite their differences, so when Poe goes missing Kip takes it HARD... From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Behind him, Byron and the others called after him. They probably tried to run after him, too, but Kip was desperate and fast and slippery. When he wanted to get away from pursuit, he knew exactly how to. He dodged around corners, slipped down alleyways, leaped over fences, and climbed up a metal fire escape ladder to a building roof one-handed where he collapsed on his back and listened for anyone following him while the tears ran down his cheeks. There may have been a distant shout of his name somewhere below, but no one followed him up to the roof. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get his breathing under control.
How was he supposed to explain to Byron what it was like to have Poe missing? Yes, Poe was all of their brother, but he was Kip’s twin. Byron and Tennyson couldn’t understand the inherent differences in that distinction. It was like half of Kip was missing. The better half – the smart, caring, gentle, important half. Kip was worthless on his own. What if Poe never came back? What if he was already gone? Who was Kip without his twin?

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Well that's not good 😬 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Fucking hell, Poe, get us out of this dimension already!” Tennyson yelled, breathless and half-panicked, swinging his sleeping bag overhead like a giant ineffective fly swatter.
“Poe’s down,” Byron yelled back.
“Poe!” he heard Kip yell from somewhere.
Shit. Tennyson whipped around to see Poe was, indeed, on the ground, covered by the crawling bodies of millions of crawling iridescent black bodies, each the size of a grape.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Way back before the first dimension jump, when Poe first introduces the END to his brothers. From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“Oh, it’s adventure time! I’m game – let’s give this thing a go,” Kip said. “What button do I push?” He reached for the extradimensional navigation device, as if intending to snatch it from Poe’s hands, but Poe knew his brother too well not to expect something like that and already had the device pulled back out of Kip’s reach.
“This extradimensional navigation device is a piece of delicate, highly calibrated scientific equipment, not a video game controller. Hands off, kid.”
“You’re only five minutes older than me,” Kip grumbled. “You don’t get to call me kid.”
“Six and a half. And I do if you keep acting like one.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Happy Wednesday! Time for a new weekly #WritingPrompt! 💜 What kind of ideas does this prompt give you? What kind of scene or story would it inspire you to write? Share your ideas! And my writing prompt book is coming Sept. 21; preorders are open! #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingInspiration

Decorative leaf wreath with writing prompt text: Use the following words in a sentence or paragraph: devote, hell, gradient, drain, linen, spine. @NicoleLSoperGorden

Cover art for Speculative Story Seeds: 300 Writing Prompts to Inspire by Nicole L. Soper Gorden. Text reads: Writing Prompt Book, Coming September 21! Pre-orders open now!

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Worrying about food in the dimension with no animal life (and you know me, I can't help but comment on the ecological implications, too 😂) From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

He dug in his bag for his camp cup and instant coffee, pausing as his hands found the edges of the dehydrated meals he had packed for camping. How many days of food did they have with them, he wondered. Was there anything in this dimension that was safe to eat? Without animals, protein would be difficult. Were any of the plants growing around here edible? Would he trust them if they were? He might not have a choice, if it took Poe too long to fix the END.
He made a mental note to keep an eye out for recognizable plants while searching for the items on Poe’s list later. He knew what most garden plants looked like, more or less, since their mom kept a vegetable garden every summer. And dad had taught them all to recognize some of the more common edible wild plants. How similar, exactly, were the plants in this world?
He had a stray worry for the plants that require pollinators to survive in a world where even insect life seemed to be absent, but that was literally the least of his worries right now.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Tennyson is a stress baker (and a really good one, at that!). 🍪 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

For a while, he lost himself in the simple pleasure of baking – finding and using the right utensils, measuring ingredients, creaming butter and sugar, stirring in lemon zest and white chocolate chips, all of it. He shaped the cookies and made a simple lemon glaze for their tops while the first batch baked. Then, feeling especially extravagant, he candied thin strips of lemon peel to decorate the tops of the cookies.
He had the kitchen spotless again, the platter of cookies in the middle of the kitchen island with the glaze cooling, arranging candied lemon peel on top of each, when the front door of the house opened and closed.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I swear Kip's sense of taste is broken 😂 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“He’s going to make himself sick,” Byron said, shaking his head.
“He always tries,” Poe agreed. “Somehow never succeeds though.”
“Kip’s stomach is a toxic waste dump,” Tennyson said. “He could eat anything, I fucking swear.”
“Anything?” Manny asked. “Really?”
“I once saw him eat beef tongue topped with chocolate ice cream and cream of broccoli soup,” Tennyson said with a shudder. “Anything.”
“Barf,” Cora said. “Thanks for that thought. Guess I’m avoiding broccoli with dinner now.”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

That time Cora made Byron try therapy (and it actually helped)... From Byron's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

“We spend so much time talking about your brothers and what you think they need,” Dr. Aguilar said, tapping her pen against her notebook in thought. “I want to hear about what you need. What do you want out of life, Byron?”
“That’s a big question,” he hedged.
“It is,” she agreed, then sat back and waited.
Byron had found that Dr. Aguilar was especially adept at waiting. She could outwait him nine times out of ten, content to patiently and quietly watch him until he couldn’t stand it anymore.
And this time was no different. As the silence stretched, the question echoed in his head: what did he want out of life? He felt himself fidgeting, trying to make pieces fit together in his thoughts. What did he want?
“I want to help people,” he blurted.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Poe has just learned that he sleeps a lot better next to someone than he does on his own 💜 From Poe's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Poe woke before Annie. It was only 4:45 am, according to his watch. But between his unprecedented seven hour nap the day before and how soundly he slept with Annie, he felt better rested than he had in… He couldn’t remember. Had he ever felt this rested?
Annie had insisted he sleep in her bunk again, wrapping him up in her arms while they both slept. He’d turned away from her this time, not wanting her to have to fall asleep while staring at his injuries. She hadn’t seemed to mind, hugging him from behind until his back was pulled snuggly against her front. Her sleeping breaths tickled the hairs at the nape of his neck each time she exhaled, sending little tremors of pleasure over his skin. For a moment, he considered staying right where he was and just letting himself feel comfortable for a while.
Then he swallowed, and was reminded of the bruising on his neck, and his promise to himself that today he would look for a way out of this mess.

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Like Kip ever says no when a cute person asks if he'll kiss them 😂😂😂 From Tennyson's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

Kip’s lungs squeezed. “Are you saying you want me to kiss you, Camden?”
For a long moment, Camden struggled with what to say. Before, he had asked if Kip was crazy when he talked about kissing. But that had been in front of others, his cousin nearly on top of them. Now, it was just the two of them, hidden from the world and in their own created space. The darkness between them seemed to grow darker, velvety soft, warming more than it should even given the summer heat. Kip felt the moment brushing down his skin like moth wings.
“Yes.” Camden’s reply, when it finally came, was clear and held no hint of hesitance. He looked back at Kip, eyes big and entire expression soft in the way that warmed Kip from the inside out. “Will you?”

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Nicole L. Soper Gorden / Nicole Leland @nicolelsopergorden.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This one might be tough out of context, but apparently I haven't used the word "symbol" much 😅 Poe is explaining interdimensional travel to his brothers, with the visual aid of some maple leaves. From Byorn's arc of The Atlas Brothers Break the Multiverse #WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity

“But let’s say instead that we want to visit this same geographic location just in another universe,” Poe continued. He grabbed a second maple leaf and drew a hasty infinity symbol on it, showing it to his brothers. “This is a completely different field of spacetime. And all of the universes are stacked up together.” He made a stack of half a dozen maple leaves, the one marked with an X on the top and the one marked with infinity on the bottom. He showed the stack of leaves to his brothers.
“Like a sandwich?” Kip asked.
“Sure, like a sandwich. The point is, in this scenario, there’s no need to fold spacetime. All we need to do is…” He took his pen and used the point to puncture through the center of the X on the top leaf, through all layers of leaf beneath, and out through the infinity symbol on the bottom. He lifted the stack again, showing his pen pinned through the two points on different leaves – the two represented geographic locations on different plains of existence.

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