#PennedPossibilities 973 — How do you select the names of your characters? For you, is there a method?

Names have meanings.

Sometimes the name is an anagram for a detail about the characters.

Sometimes they're thinly veiled nods to some work I enjoyed, such as Van Ander who runs the bar *The First Sip"

Sometimes the name is derived from the real world that has meaning related to the character.
"Klein" is German for small or little. Klein is named such because he starts with a small or limited experience.
His brother "Laric" is a derivative of "Alric/Alrich" meaning ruler or leader. Where Laric went, his younger brother Klein would follow.

Sometimes a name follows in-universe rules such as with Wyth Fork where the names from the main continent use diphthongs and double consonants in specific patterns.

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#WordWeavers 2026-03-31 Share or tell us about a fun scene you recently wrote.
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Klein's auto-ratchet made a soft brrtrtrtruum! for each bolt he loosened as he purposely worked slowly going all the way around the lid.

He tried once or twice to whistle a tune to distract himself but to no avail. His mind kept interrupting to rehash the conversation with his older brother. His mind kept trying to work out to what extent Laric was upset. His mind kept pondering how long it would take for Laric to come around.

His mind was making a lot of unhelpful, unproductive noise.

Klein grabbed the edges of the lid with both hands and slowly thumped his head against the container a good four or five times before drawing a breath and letting loose a heavy exasperated sigh.
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#writerscoffeeclub 2026-03-28. Do you ever sacrifice blunt clarity for prose that flows well?

That's a good question I'm not sure of.
I write with poetic paints but it's fairly clear. I think anyway.
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Medb sat on the carved boulders that adorned the top of Balin Tor. Gíana leaned on her shoulder as the two watched the smoke from the second and third Kerbesh military outposts still rising up in the distance, like black Jörmundur spawns rearing up, silhouetted in red sunset far behind the Cryyl Mountains.

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#WordWeavers 2026-03-23: What are you careful about when writing?

I tend to be careful with continuity, both characters and events. #SanguineDreams sprouts off of an existing story so it's important to me to not break cannon events, and to not write established characters in a way that contradicts established behaviours.

I bet John sighs in relief a bit when I move into sections that are 100% my creation so he gets a break from the texts at random times of 'Hey I need info o
about <thing that wasn't intended to be high depth/importance outside the story>. Oh and I fleshed out (aka built insanely dense lore) details of <thing that was self contained to the story>'
😆

Actually I retract the joke. John gets gassed up when I seize upon subtle bits and implications of his writing, and then shake them around like a dog with new favourite chew toy. Him & the other writers on the series are super supportive of the arcane and 'woo-woo' direction I'm navigating the ship.

#RidersOfTheDream #riders_of_the_dream #HippodromeDreams

#WordWeavers 2026-03-19. Share something that makes your SC different from your MC.

Large difference, Klein is from a farming colony within the Dream. He was just another generic person that chose to become a Jinrō (a low end type of werewolf for simplicity) of Clan Tsagaansoyoo (a crime syndicate & werewolf clan) He's rather savy about things within the Dream since he's native to it and the various technologies. Vs Medb who comes from a universe/planet where humans barely had matchlock rifles .

Klein also can read/write several of the common languages in the Dream. Medb is functionally illiterate within the Dream since none of the languages she speaks exist in the Dream. She speaks Tradesman Tongue which is close enough to common english for her to get by, but it uses a different alphabet of 37-42 characters

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#PennedPossibilities 960 — Describe the longest romantic relationship your MC has ever had. (If they’ve had one.)

Medb has had a low intensity romantic relationship with Lyshí (second in line for the Silver-Ash throne) that spans 8/900 years, and over lapped with Medb + Líth's relationship.

Sort of a Country & City casual relationship id this were a tween romance book

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#PennedPossibilities 957 — Does your MC have or wear a signature color?

"Eyes as orange as harvest moons seemed to glow against a bulk of black shaggy fur"

Whenever I am stressing that it's dangerous to be within Medb's immediate reach/sprinting range, you see a description pointing out her orange eyes. She's watching with interest. Descriptions of them as shining go pretty much hand in hand with unleashed violence.

Orange sits between Red (typically associated with wrath/anger) and Yellow (usally meaning caution/warning)

If she's in wolf form, I purposely contrast them against her black fur for a subtle 'something in the abyss is starring back'

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Her ear twitched slightly as Medb mentioned ‘pack.’ “So you are a werewolf?” Cpt. Nadie probed, a little frustrated and still unsure about the stranger. Other werewolves she'd previously encountered weren't like this person. They were always wolfish because of Luna's constant presence, and this woman clearly didn't smell like a Jinrō.

“My Líth was a spirit walker. I expected to find your ship decorated with sacred symbols, painted with woad. I'm not sure why I expected thet with how odd this place is.” Medb did a little salute gesture with the shot glass and set it on the bar, then turned to properly face the doe. “Werewolf is the human word for my people. The Sídhe and elevens called us faoladh. But we are Rhai’r-tir, the people of the land.” Medb’s orange eyes examined Cpt. Nadie, taking in the lingering traces of the disguise that she had used to infiltrate the Hippodrome. “I am a werewolf, unlike thet daughter of a bastard Trinity. She is a human clad in fur.”

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#WordWeavers 2026-03-09 If you need to share an important piece of history/lore, what’s your approach that avoids infodumping?

Flashbacks, dream sequences, digestible dialogue, metered out within internal monologues within the action of the scene.

There's a bunch of ways.

Dream sequences are a favourite as there's lots of malleability with the real+surreal amalgamation that occurs when we experience temporary tango with Thanatos.

Current WIP section I'm working on, Klein is blacked out dreaming. He's reliving someone else's memories. it's lore for Medb and her tactical planning ability, all wrapped in action and tension.

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#PennedPossibilities 950 — Can your MC swim? If not, why not? If so, how did they learn?

Yes Medb can swim as a wolf, but more effectively in human + hybrid forms. She uses butterfly strokes. She's not fast but she is a strong, high endurance swimmer.

She had to figure it out on the spot when a Jötunn chucked her off the rampart and into the ocean during the final siege of the Hoarfrost War. This is also why she uses butterfly strokes, she never learned/figured anything else.

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#WordWeavers 2026-03-04. When was the last time your MC lied? Why?

Define "lie"

Will she mislead to get out of trouble?
No.

Will she pretend to be a peasant woman in distress to bait a dispatch of troops into an ambush?
Oh yes.

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