iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Maybe the reason all my fiction is character-driven is because all my plot-driven concepts would work better as a D&D campaign. 🤔

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I’m late to the party but I do! Nothing published yet but I’m on the brink of querying here

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

#SumLuv Werewolf wip: Valkyrie’s nails dig into your skin. Red trails follow her fingers like comet tails. Your skin burns. Stitchbriar: You’re wrapped warm in a blanket. The fire crackles quietly, casting the only light in the room. You take a sip of your tea, then gasp - it is unexpectedly hot.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

My best guess is: Romance usually follows a clear physical escalator: Yearning. A kiss and confession of love. Sex. ‘Stitchbriar’ doesn’t. Wren touches Rebeca constantly from the moment they meet. They hook up in chapter 5. They’re sharing a bed by chapter 8. Wren says ‘I love you’ in chapter 15.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Valkyrie helpfully replies: “I don’t fucking know - do I look like someone who would know that?”

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

I generally avoid rules because rules invite industrialization. In my werewolf wip, when Aria learns Valkyrie is a werewolf, her 7th question is: “How does the transformation conserve energy and mass? Important! Significant if it breaks laws of thermodynamics. Lycanthropic energy generation?”

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Jokes aside, even if the narrative would technically work in another genre, the meaning of the narrative would change. Set in a contemporary world, Wren wouldn’t be a fish out of water. She’d be perceived much differently by the reader. What it means to accept her changes as a consequence.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

#SumLuv A Stitchbriar beta reader told me they were “uncomfortable with the excessive touch [between the MCs] until it was explained culturally.” Sooo… it’d struggle outside fantasy 😅 (Spoiler: my love language is touch. It was, I think, an appropriate amount of touch for once...)

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

To sum the whole thing up based on a dream I had:

Kissing where wiring meets ports, soft fingers across embedded chips
Anxious, repetitive grounding
Digital texture sensors pressed unshielded deep into the undercoat as algorithms run and rerun and fail to predict the motions of her lover.
Fur matted with grease. Metal joints grinding on hair and feathers. A gasp as her claw stops the gyro and the room spins.
Clutching, desperate, aching against the gap of their bodies.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Wren is an immortal elven royal. Rebeca is human and grew up on a failing family farm. Aria is a neurodivergent human. Valkyrie is a werewolf. Lyra is a merchant’s daughter. Dimroa is a green dragon. Coyote is a half-animal hybrid. Tadpole is a cyborg designed to repair the Corsair.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

My most common general tropes are: Hurt/comfort, found family, anxious/confident, bodyguard, secret identity. Thematically, however, all my writing is about emotional safety and loving across a divide. All my lovers live in different worlds and can never quite understand or reach each other.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Seriously! I love how alien yet relatable Shesheshen was!

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

I find that these sorts of scenes are often hilarious because discrimination is absurd. It’s equally ridiculous pointed toward real people but it has been normalized (or too real to be funny). Point at a werewolf and you can hear it.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

My werewolf novel’s setting is contemporary and mostly serves as a way to push on systemic discrimination through the lens of a fantasy monster. Sometimes comically - Aria is asked by HR to hold a silver rod to prove she’s not a werewolf for insurance reasons.

“W-w-wh-wha- Wha-“ Aria paused. Rowan reached out and briefly touched Aria’s arm with his fingertips. It felt like an electrical discharge, a sudden awareness he was on her side. Of the desk at least. Her shoulders dropped and she took a breath. “What’s the complaint?” She managed.
Isaac opened a drawer and pulled out a long wooden box, set it on his desk, and opened it. Inside was a metal rod, maybe eight inches long, and a stop watch. “There has been a complaint that you are a werewolf,” he said, matter-of-fact.
“What? Is this because I took off the full moon a few days ago?”
“You have been absent, sick, or working from home for every full moon for six months.” Isaac didn’t look at her when he spoke, carefully picking up the stop watch then the rod. “All I need you to do is hold this pure silver rod for 60 seconds. Then you can get back to work.”
Aria stared at him for a moment. Six months? She had only met Valkyrie 4 months ago. “I’m not a werewolf.”
“We know,” Rowan said, his voice forced gentle. “I told them. You don’t have the temperament of a werewolf. But corporate policy is to check.”
The temperament of a werewolf? An urgency rose in Aria’s throat. “So what if I am? What is the problem?”
“Ms. Wellen,” Isaac started but Rowan held up a hand.
“It’s okay, Isaac,” he said, then looked at Aria. “Our insurance policy doesn’t allow werewolves to be in the office for the same reason we ban firearms and other weapons. Too much liability if someone is hurt.”

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The werewolf wip continues the theme on embodiment but focuses on physical dread rather than attachment dread. Aria wants the wolf’s teeth, Valkyrie wants to give them to her, but Bloodmaw does, too…

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Stitchbriar, the novel I’m hoping to query here soon, came pretty soon after that, focusing on a fearful avoidant elf and a human with a savior complex. Lots of focus on touch and bodies. Pretty straight line from Crane’s messy psychological honesty.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

“I keep my exoskeletons to myself” by Marisa Crane was the one that gave me permission to write my own romances, though. Not even technically a romance, just gay, kinky, literary, and a little strange.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

#SumLuv Growing up, I wasn’t a romance reader. Got some in fantasy - e.g., Mistborn - but my first romance was “Someone you can build a nest in.” Super good, Shesheshen was a great character. Felt weirdly not embodied. I later learned Wiswell is asexual, so probably says more about me than the book

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

On the one hand, yes, on the other hand, you wouldn’t get the sensation of biting them on your teeth.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Poor thing is in waaay over her head 😂

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

I love these two. They are having divergent experiences to the same moment, but both are enjoying it. That’s true for a lot of the book. Valkyrie is relaxed and a little theatrical. Aria is earnest and a little anxious - mostly because Valkyrie is winding her up. But it’s the fun kind of fear now!

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Alt prompt: Aria is there because her therapist sent her out to find safe fun. An unusual therapeutic method but Dr. Mothersbaugh gets results. Valkyrie is hunting. “Father, I beseech you for a bountiful hunt. May the chase feed my heart, and may your flesh nourish my body… sexually.” 😏

Valkyrie’s arm brushed the bones hanging from the ceiling and they clattered with a dull noise. She steadied them with a hand, then bowed her head in apology to the deer-head altar in the corner of her room, next to the window.
Turning her attention back to the mirror, she pulled her leather vest straight and smiled, satisfied, at her reflection. Her curly hair bordered on cute - unfortunately, a product of her mother’s genes - but the rest of her told a different story: confident, dominant. Tonight was about looking the part. Tonight was about persistence. The chances of success were low but, oh, when she was successful.
She looked back at the Father’s altar and a mischievous thought crossed her mind. Grinning to herself, she stepped closer, considering the six-point buck for a moment. It hadn’t been her greatest kill, certainly, but she’d come to revere it as it absorbed a thousand of her prayers.
“Father, I beseech you for a bountiful hunt. May the chase feed my heart, and may your flesh nourish my body.” She touched her fingertips to her lips, then pressed them gently to the side of the buck’s face. Then she added: “sexually,” and grinned at her own sacrilege.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

#SumLuv It is fairytale love, in so far as werewolves are fairytale 🤔 The first time they meet, Aria is terrified of Valkyrie. Still tries to kiss her. Dork. Valkyrie is delighted! A good hunt! By the next day, she is already terrorizing Aria to get over the death of a friend. So much for safe…

The hand on Aria’s shoulder squeezed and let go. “Mostly that you are new and nervous as hell. So tell me, why did your therapist send you here, of all places?”
Pressing her lips together, Aria risked another glance at Valkyrie. She was still looking at her, eyes wide and intense. Aria swallowed and looked down again, but could still feel the eyes on her. “So, you know about proprioceptive input. I’ve found that in addition to deep pressure, certain other sensations can…”
Valkyrie was still staring unmoving. “Go on.”
“I, um.” Oh god, oh god. “I’m a masochist?”
A wide smile broke across Valkyrie’s face, her eyes squinting at the size of it. “You’re in the right place. Among your people.”
Aria’s shoulders relaxed. “Oh! Are you a masochist, too?”
The woman laughed again, loud and bright, then put her hand on the side of Aria’s neck. “No, I’m here because I like to hurt pretty women wearing video game t-shirts.”
Aria’s heart stopped, and a small cough escaped her. Valkyrie’s thumb brushed back and forth across the corner of her jaw. Aria dared not move. Her mouth was so dry. And those teeth. And the curls. And the leather vest. Oh god.
It seemed like Valkyrie was getting closer. Maybe Valkyrie was moving. Or maybe the room was getting smaller. Oh god. Or maybe Aria was leaning forward. “This place is so overwhelming.”
“It is, but I’ll keep you safe.” Aria watched the woman’s lips as she spoke. “I’ll protect you.”

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Exactly! I was saying that yesterday!

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Exactly! You probably interacted with tons of other kids there - but there was something special about your best friend that clicked. Platonic meetcute!

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I’m a big fan, apparently, of staging the meetcute at queer events. Stitchbriar opens on a mysterious queer gathering in a pocket space that Wren wanders into by accident. My werewolf WIP opens in a gay bar on an LGBTQ+ kink night. It’s electric. Here is Aria and Valkyrie’s meetcute:

Excerpt of the werewolf wip that reads:

Aria glanced up at him again, then looked back at the crowd. “So, uh, you play any video ga-“ The words died in her throat as Aria locked eyes with her across the room. The woman grinned, and strode towards them, her curls and leather vest and Oh God. Teeth white and bright and Oh God. Oh God.
“Hey, you two are new, huh?” The woman’s voice was warm and smooth.
“Uh, yeah,” Billy replied, forcing a smile. Aria just swallowed. Curls and teeth and leather vest.
“Welcome. I’m Valkyrie.”
“Billy.” He offered a hand and she shook it.
Aria swallowed again, and realized she was staring at Valkyrie’s teeth. “Uh. Uh!” The words felt stuck in her mouth, like her tongue had gone suddenly numb. “Aria,” she finally forced out.
Valkyrie put her hand on the side of Aria’s shoulder. “Aria,” she repeated. “Can I buy you two a drink?”
Billy shrugged. “Sure. Thanks.”
“I, uh.” Aria looked down at her own drink, still mostly full. “I actually don’t need a drink.”
“May I?” Valkyrie asked, pointing at it.
Aria looked up and startled, her eyes suddenly locked with the pale blue of Valkyrie’s. “Uh,” she said again, and gave it to her. She stared, dumbfounded, as Valkyrie drank it, still not sure why she’d given it to her.
Glass empty, Valkyrie handed it back to her. “You seem ready for a second round.” She gestured for them to follow, finally letting go of Aria’s shoulder, and spun, walking towards the bar. Billy raised his eyebrows at her and followed. Aria just stood. Holding her empty glass.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Regardless of circumstance, they are charming if the couple presently love each other. “We were both soldiers for opposite countries. I shot him in the chest.” “Fastest way to a man’s heart…!” Then they kiss and the audience ‘awws’.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I think all relationships- even friendships- have some sort of meetcute. You interact with thousands of strangers across your life, only some of them become friends/lovers/whatever. Retroactively, however you first met becomes part of your joint story.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Encouraging people to go back and examine archetypes in their own work might be an interesting exercise in understanding the role of archetypes in stories.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Right. All characters can be described with archetypes. I think you ruffled feathers because “built using archetypes” implies something about their process, and lots of people don’t think about archetypes when they’re writing.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The romance is alternating comedy and horror. Aria is earnest and a little off target. Valkyrie loves and terrorizes her dork. Bloodmaw never quite separates its appetite (😏) from its appetite (🥩). It’s like a love triangle but two of the people share a body, and one of them wants to eat the third.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Valkyrie is a trans werewolf living in a pack house. She’s also a gamer but is more into Starfall 4 than Cozy Valley. She walks dogs for a living and posts about them. Valkyrie and Bloodmaw, the beast that possesses her each full moon, are on a hot streak - whose kill are you eating this month?

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Aria, a bank employee with an anxiety disorder, spends most of the novel being a dork. She’s a gamer and doesn’t understand social interactions, but she’s smart and trying her best. This whole BDSM thing is new to her, but, by golly, she’s gonna knock it out of the park. Mostly with wolf ethology.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Aria and Valkyrie meet at an LGBTQ+ kink night held at Squirt!, a local gay bar. Aria was sent there by her therapist to find “affiliative proprioceptive input” and a community. Valkyrie is hunting. Aria arrives to find the event full of men. Valkyrie spots her prey and closes. #SumLuv

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

Not intentionally! Just ridiculous situations. - HR monster hunting by corporate policy (for insurance reasons) - Aria, human, using wolf submission behaviors on her currently-human girlfriend, Valkyrie - Valkyrie telling her nosy neighbor that Aria is her parole officer Stuff like that!

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Hi! I’m Marissa and I write sapphic romance. I’ve only been writing for about a year last month. It’s a lot of fun! My first book, Stitchbriar, a romantasy, is a good edit away from querying. My current WiP is a contemporary werewolf romance. Decidedly funnier than I planned, but still romantic!

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

I think this is extra hard for trans women - we’re already encouraged to be dissatisfied with and change our bodies (HRT, FFS, SRS, etc.), its a fine line between dysphoria and dysmorphia.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Does anyone else do that thing where it’s too bright out and you don’t have sunglasses so you like keep your eyes closed and reverse blink, then navigate by the afterimages? Like little photographs in false color?

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Ah, good times! Before StarCraft and Diablo completely sandblasted my brain.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Tbh the little games were dope as hell. I did a little deck swabber one constantly to get like dubloons or something to sell.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Oh snap, you still have yours? I definitely don’t have access to whatever Hotmail account I had used to create it.

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Is neopets still kicking? I remember it went through a big sponsorship phase which felt really gross.

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Reposted by Marissa Grave

Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

My controversial opinion is that you shouldn’t know the ending of a book before you start. How can you know what they’ll do if you haven’t lived a few scenes in their head? Otherwise you’re not letting them actually come alive on the page. I’m certain there are some hard disagrees out there 😂

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

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Marissa Grave @radioactivemoth.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

I mostly just want to hear people’s responses to #45: Do you have any controversial writing opinions?

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