Mastodawn

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 9, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 750 — Is your SC aware of what the MC wants out of life, and are they willing to help them acquire it?

Yes, he is. And Dante wants the exact same thing, of course. He always has, and that's why he stitches up the wounds of each and every member of their gang. That's how he shows the care and devotion. Same as Alexios, he wants everyone to be alright. He'll do anything he can to help Alexios reach that goal. If you were to ask any of the gang members (who happen to be SCs in this story), they would all have the same answer as well. They care. They'll do anything to help Alexios keep them safe. Dante wants everyone to be healthy and whole. That's what matters.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 10, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 751 — Check-In: Share a snippet you’ve written recently that you’re proud of. (Doesn’t matter what it’s from, or if it’s edited or not.)

I'm going to start posting these prompts every so often so we can share our writing, have more engagement, and get to know each other's writing styles and see how wonderfully different we all are. Let's spread the love and support each other!

My full story is here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61476478/chapters/157155637

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheWitcher #TheWitcher3 #EmielRegis #CirillaOfCintra #GeraltOfRivia #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 11, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 752 — Tell us about something that will always make your antagonist laugh.

Belittling others. There's nothing quite like it for him. He's a complete bastard.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 12, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 753 — Where do your SCs feel the happiest?

I'll mention a few of them here in a list...

Trick (who later becomes one of the MCs): With the gang (and Alexios).
Vonic: At the Apex Nightclub, relaxing after a long day.
Dante: At his clinic, or with Noona.
Junk: With his friends, but it doesn't matter where.
Cosmia: At her bar, chatting with the "regulars" she has.
Rain: In front of a computer, working on problem solving.
Jack: With his brother, drinking or having a meal at home.
Noona: With Dante, of course. The location doesn't matter.
Catalina Faraday: At the club, after f*cking sh*t up and ruining lives.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈

#PennedPossibilities 754 — SC POV: Do you have children? If not, do you want to have children someday?

Dante: I don't have any. And no, dear god... No, I don't want any, either. Not in this economy, and not on this planet. I wouldn't do that to a poor, innocent child, bringing them up in this godforsaken world. Maybe if I ever left, otherwise no.

(Sounds a bit like Earth at the moment too, eh? Citune and Earth aren't so different, after all.)

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 14, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 755 — Does your antagonist have any unusual or advanced skills?

Aside from being terrifyingly well skilled with a scalpel, Dr. Death is well-versed in the art of manipulation. He employs that tactic often with "experiments," AKA victims.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 15, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 756 — Describe your WIP in one sentence.

I can sum it up like this, "High tech, low life."

That four word comment describes the entire cyberpunk genre, and this series is no different. (Scary how we're not actually headed that way anymore but living it NOW.) Just sprinkle in a dark romance, and voila, my series!

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 16, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 757 — MC POV: Would you rather have a night in, or one spent in the company of friends?

Alexios: Depends on my mood, really. Most nights, I like to lie around at night, relax, and sleep. Others, I like to be surrounded by friends. Or even just Junk. I think, in the grand scheme of things, I'd have to choose either a night out or in, doesn't matter, with Junk. He's my best choom.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 17, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 758 — Is there any sort of “lie” at the core of your MC’s worldview or how they see things? (However you might interpret the prompt, explain your answer.)

Spoilers, maybe... But the answer is just this: That perhaps not everyone who's a member of the Syndicate is evil or wants universal dominance. Alexios' experiences have shaped the way he sees this group. His entire planet was taken, the people enslaved or used for failed experiments, and the planet was drained of its resources and destroyed. It's a fair assessment, but he doesn't have the entire story.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 18, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 759 — Are there any topics or plot points that you refuse to write?

Writing is a rewarding pursuit, but it's not without its challenges. Things can be mentioned or be a part of a backstory or a character's current story without actually being explicitly written. I have a list. On it are things like SV, DV, drug or alcohol abuse, et cetera. You get the gist.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 19, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 760 — MC POV: Describe who you are in your group of friends. Tell us if you’re the motherly / fatherly type, the funny friend, the serious one, etc.

Alexios: Oh, I'm the f*ckin' daddy, and I don't mean that in the way I /know/ you're thinking. (Although with Trick, who knows.) I take care of everyone. I'm also a serious guy, though. So, it's a bit of both most days. I'm our gang's leader. Gotta take care of the chooms, keep them safe and healthy. You know, the usual biz.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 21, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 761 — Tell us about your funniest character.

It's Junk, by far. He's so silly and ridiculous, and we absolutely love him for it. He's a favorite of mine (and the readers) by far, and he totally deserves it. 😋

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 21, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 762 — How much does your MC value communication in their relationships and / or friendships? Are they prone to being misunderstood?

Alexios is constantly being misunderstood, but it's only by those who don't actually know him. It's by clients, other gangs, etc. His friends do know him, and they've got the body language and lingo down well enough by now. They know his moods, how he feels about things, how much he needs space at times or the reverse. He values communication, and his close friends know that he's actually a sweetheart deep down. He cares, he loves all of the gang members because they're truly a family, and he does his best to keep everyone safe. So yes, he /does/ value communication.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 23, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 763 — What is your antagonist’s greatest fear? Explain.

Losing his "work," AKA the testing and experimenting he's done. I think that would have to be Dr. Death's greatest (and worst) fear. Saying anything else, though, would be entering spoiler territory.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 24, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 764 — Do you have any SCs who later become MCs in your WIP?

Oh, of course. I'll give a few examples. It's Trick, hands down. This happens over the course of the first novel. In the second one, Dante is actually the MC while Trick and Alexios take the backseat.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 25, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 765 — Are there any words that you’re actively trying to use less often (or replace) in your writing?

Of course, I've got a few. These ones are my current enemies.

• Had (Gross. No thank you. Bad habit.)
• Then (Trying to use "and" more often.)
• Though (No need to use this, even if it's a word we say all the time. Keep it in some dialogue and only occasionally in other sentences.)

I'm just one of those people... I've never had issues with overusing words like these ones: very, just, that, suddenly, stuff, or literally. Those ones are fine and are only used on occasion. If I do notice that one of them happens to be used a bit too often, maybe during a late-night writing session where my brain went all wonky, then I'll cut them out. But still, it's a rarity.

#WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 26, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 766 — Has your MC ever had a guilty conscience?

Let's break it down, just because I love dissecting things a bit.

Conscience: This refers to the internal moral compass that guides your sense of right and wrong.

Guilty: This adjective describes the feeling of being responsible for a wrongdoing.

Guilty Conscience: When combined, it signifies a state where your internal moral compass is telling you that your actions were wrong, leading to feelings of guilt, sadness, or unease.

Alexios has been known to feel a heavy amount of guilt over the things he's done (or will do in the future, which he knows are wrong). Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and being a gang leader isn't for the faint of heart.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 27, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 767 — Tell us about your antagonist’s fashion. How do they dress?

Black, black, and more black. Paint it black. Dr. Death occasionally wears a splash of color, but he prefers to keep things stylish and toned down when he's out of his medical scrubs. From the clothing he chooses, you can tell that he has /money/, but he never wears anything obnoxiously colorful. Nice three-piece suits, polished shoes, rings, necklaces, etc. He also has an ear pieced.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 28, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 768 — How do you balance writing with personal life?

Not well? Just kidding!

They're usually one and the same, to be fair. A majority of my close friends are also writers, or we actually met through writing (whether it's original work, fanfiction, or roleplay stories), and I absolutely love it. I met my girlfriend the same way 13+ years ago. She's also a writer.

But honestly, I do pretty well. I have ME time, and then I have WRITING time. So, it's not usually a problem for me. "Me time" consists of reading, listening to podcasts and audio dramas, gaming, art, watching telly or streaming stuff, and paranormal things (and my spooky podcast is a whole other story, with how much of my life that takes up).

You just have to try and find a balance. It isn't easy, but you have to try. It keeps you sane.

#WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 29, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 769 — What inspired the story of your (latest) WIP?

A deep and profound love for cyberpunk tales inspired this current series of mine. I decided to combine that love for cyberpunk things with a SFF universe, and voila!

I'm a game master for so many #TTRPG campaigns. My group plays a lot of #Cybperunk2020 and #CyberpunkRED. This series of mine is very close related to the homebrew universe that I have in my own cyberpunk campaigns. It's original, and it's my own. It was a series that just needed to be written. I don't make the rules anymore. The stories lead me, not the other way around.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 30, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 770 — What is your MC’s greatest weakness, and do other characters know what it is?

An interesting read: https://www.dabblewriter.com/articles/character-weakness-examples

Character flaws and weaknesses are two vastly different things, so I won't even get into the former, only the latter. In regard to my answer, though, I'll have to say that Alexios' greatest weakness is a propensity for self-destruction, and everyone in Ethera pretty much knows it these days.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

A Whole Bunch of Juicy Character Weaknesses

Perfect characters are boring. Readers want characters who struggle through, endure, and overcome the obstacles you throw at them. To do that, we need to give them weaknesses. In this article, we discuss what character weaknesses are and how you can integrate them into your writing.

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Sep 1, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 771 — Can you share a snippet of your antagonist’s backstory with us?

I've often talked about Dr. Death's life pre-series. I don't want to bore anyone here, but I'm so looking forward to reading everyone's responses. 💜

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Sep 2, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 772 — Write about a recent decision that your SC has made.

Dante instantly liked Trick. Of course, liking someone who's around the gang doesn't necessarily equate to them being a member or actually considering them one, even if it goes unsaid, but that's exactly how Dante has felt since the beginning. He's recently decided to start voicing those opinions. Aloud. In front of the gang, and even in front of Alexios as well. Taking it a step further, he's also decided to start making comments about the obvious tension between Alexios and Trick. They're clearly into each other, and he'll be damned if he just stands by and watches them suffer. Why not push them along a bit, eh? It's the kind thing to do.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Sep 3, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 773 — SC POV: Describe your first kiss.

Dante: It was with /her/, Noona, and it was perfect. I was awkward and she was confident. We were young sweethearts. Funny how the times may change but our hearts don't. She'll probably never know it, but I've always been in love with her. I'm certainly not about to tell her.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Sep 4, 2025

#PennedPossibilities 774 — Would you say your WIP is primarily character-driven or plot-driven, or is there an effective combination of the two?

Alright, let's break this down for those partaking in tonight's prompt.

"Character-driven stories focus on the internal lives and development of the characters, emphasizing their emotions, decisions, and personal growth. In contrast, plot-driven stories prioritize the events and actions that unfold, often driven by external conflicts or challenges."

Character-driven stories often explore the protagonist's journey, internal struggles, and how their choices shape their development.

Plot-driven stories typically follow a structured narrative, where the plot and events are central to the story's development, often involving external conflicts.

The choice between these two approaches can depend on the genre and the author's writing style (with character-driven stories being more common in literary fiction, for example). Ultimately, both approaches can be effective, and the best choice depends on the narrative's intended focus and the reader's interest. They can even be combined.

Now, onto me and my series. It's a healthy combination of the two, but mostly character-driven. And honestly, I've always written that way. Story to story, that never changes.

#LGBT #LGBTQIA #TheCityOfOpulence #DigitalDystopiaSeries #Cyberpunk #SFF #ScienceFiction #Romance #Worldbuilding #AmWriting #WritingCommunity

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist Aug 30, 2025

How do they dress? Black, black, and more black.

Since I wrote about my MC's black fetish today (she's a closet goth), I thought I'd repeat one of the things I said in case you want to use it. She likes wearing silver jewlery—silver tarnished black. It's quite elegant, though it likely needs to be lacquered to keep it from rubbing off.

Spooky Panda 🏳️‍🌈Aug 31, 2025

@sfwrtr Oh my goodness, "tarnished black" jewelry sounds like it's also right up my alley as well! I love that description. You're so clever. Thank you for sharing that with me to read. 🖤