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krholton.bsky.social
kae
@krholton.bsky.social
240 followers 440 following 500 posts
Agender, any pronouns. Driftless Region, WI. Fantasy & Sci-fi writer. I also design digital & printable planners and productivity worksheets. www.krholton.com
Would you like to buy me a coffee? https://krholton.com/about#tip-jar
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krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 20 - Special

Prophet Levi discovers he crossed a line by testing the Merx's patience and now it's his little brother who will pay the price.
“Tower, play message.” An unfamiliar voice called out from the speakers around the living room. “Hello Prophet Noethi, this is Natalia Merx from the admissions office at Merx University. Due to special circumstances, your brother’s application has been accepted en proviso. It’s, erm, quite unusual, but these conditions are that he immediately move into dormitory housing, and that his contact with you be limited. He’ll also have limited unsupervised access to citynet. These stipulations will be in place for the first year of his schooling so that he can fully focus on his studies. We’ll send you regular updates about his progress. I believe someone’s already been sent to collect him and his belongings. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We look forward to watching Wes’ growth within the Merx community. All of his test scores were exceptional, so I’m sure he’ll excel here. Have a great day.” A chill had settled over me. “Tower, call Wes’ personal comms.” “I’m sorry,” said the computer. “Access to that unit has been restricted.”
November 20, 2025 at 4:46 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Not related to writing necessarily, but my biggest lesson this year was that continuing to seek treatment for chronic conditions is worth it, even though it's a monumental pain in the ass. Stagnating and letting chronic conditions go unmanaged is never a viable solution.
spoonieauthnet.bsky.social Spoonie Authors Network @spoonieauthnet.bsky.social · 1d
Spoonie Author Chat (for creatives who manage spoons), November 19, 2025:

What's the biggest lesson you've learned this year?

(Please quote-post and add
#SpoonieAuthChat to your replies!)
Banner image has the same text as the post. There’s also a small smaller image of three spoons that are connected at the base.
November 19, 2025 at 4:07 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Levi's flaw in the first book is that he routinely can't/refuses to see his own agency in most situations. He's very much a grin-and-bear-it kind of person, even when things are getting worse and worse. Even when he's the one who holds the power to make things change. #WritingCommunity #WriteSky
cometkins.bsky.social Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @cometkins.bsky.social · 3d
What's the biggest flaw in your main character? #WritingPrompt
November 17, 2025 at 5:11 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Yesss, at-home writing retreat was a success! Finally back above par! And, more importantly, having a ton of fun with this WIP and being able to write new characters.

#WriteRAWR #WriteSky
Screen shot of a line graph that shows word count progress across Oct and Nov. The line was below par for most of early Nov, but now is well ahead of the minimum again!
November 17, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Reposted by kae
dominolucky.bsky.social
the star 💫

#art #oc
An illustration of Yvaine as the Star tarot. He has long white hair half-up in a bun, and is wearing a light blue shirt with slashed poet sleeves. The cuffs are quilted and dotted with sapphires, with small ruffles at the ends. He wears a laced up neckpiece covering his collarbone area and throat with embroidered detailing, and a belt with a pattern of stars over high-waisted lighter blue pants. Pieces of ornamental fabric hang from his back. He holds a glowing white star which hovers just above his cupped hands. The background features 13 stars with the largest one at the top, and a lute and a lyre sit in the foreground.
November 16, 2025 at 5:25 AM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 16 - Run

Levi is out of the frying pan and into the fire in The Last Firstborn. 🔥

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
There was a huge crash on the other side of the street, and a multitude of metal objects clattered on the wet concrete. At the same time that the officer yelled, “What the hell?” a hand grabbed mine and pulled me down the street. My feet had no choice but to keep up, to run. The officer was shouting after me, but whatever had fallen onto the street evidently took precedence because he didn’t pursue us. The guiding hand was small. The person was short, three or four strides for every two of mine. We ran until I was out of breath and the noise of the commotion had faded into the general cacophony behind us. “What happened?” I gasped out. A small voice replied, “Saw you were in it deep with that cop, mister. Know a guy with no ID chip when I see ‘em, eh?” The child nudged me in the side as if we were sharing a scandalous joke. “We gotta help each other out, don’t we? Law of the city, ain’t it. Say, where’d you get that hoodie from?”
November 16, 2025 at 4:09 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Post your favorite Star Trek character. Wrong answers only.

neelix 😬
November 15, 2025 at 7:21 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Fox in a box

#caturday #OneOrangeBraincell
photo of a long haired orange cat in a small box
November 15, 2025 at 5:37 PM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 15 - Progress

Why indeed, poor Levi?

From The Last Firstborn, coming some nebulous time in 2026!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
‟What happened after the killer left the alley?” Vivienne asked, pressing a cup into my hand. “There were lights and sirens. People saw him and called the police I think. He was arrested, just like last time.” Marquez swore. ‟Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked, sloshing water down my chin as I drank. “Not if she still dies,” Vivienne said. “They can just make her stay home though, right?” “The situation isn’t that cut and dry, Levi. Evidently, the Oida heiress is… incredibly disinclined to stay in her apartments.” “Even though her life is at risk?” “I can’t answer for the internal handling of the situation by the Lygus. What I can say is that we will again give them this information. They’ll keep her safe however they see fit.” Why didn’t I feel as if we’d made any progress toward unraveling the plot?
November 15, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Reposted by kae
unfortunatalie.bsky.social
trying to switch off the AI bloatware that has been pinned to the top of every single menu in every single app
A business woman in a grey skirt suit, pointing a rifle at a boxy 90s PC
April 26, 2025 at 9:30 PM
krholton.bsky.social
The @roguewriters.bsky.social writing Torch Relay is this weekend, which means an at-home writing retreat for me! <3

#WriteRAWR
November 14, 2025 at 10:16 PM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 14 - Week

From The Last Firstborn, which is with an editor right now!

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Every morning Vivienne called me with my agenda—let me know how formal my clothes needed to be. She opened every call by asking how I was feeling. A normal enough question, but I couldn’t help but feel like she was gauging how hard she could work me that day. At the end of the week, she called me back into the cloister to see another prophecy. She needed information to expose that one of “their” legislators was also taking “donations” from the Lygus. Basically, blackmail. “Is this really worth my time?” I asked, a little bolder because Aumbrose wasn’t there. “We decide what’s worth your time, Prophet,” said Marquez. “Remember that.” “Just do what they say,” my father repeated in my head.
November 14, 2025 at 2:33 PM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 13 - Build

Ohhh, yet another callout by WIPSnips of a section I may need to change on my next revision. I've done so much worldbuilding in book 2 that I'm going to need to update a bunch of stuff in The Last Firstborn.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
“The entire city relies on this damned machine. We need the Merx to work more diligently on trying to understand if we can replicate it. Build a second one for Polea’s sake! We shouldn’t be passing bullshit like this. If the maintenance is so pricey, we’d be better off putting that money into research.” They’re talking about the water purifier. The Merx have an elaborate system of pipes, valves, pumps, and storage tanks, all designed to funnel the poisoned rainwater into the purifier machine, which supplies the whole city with clean water. I don’t understand what they mean by research, though. We know exactly how the machine works—it runs on manna, a gift from the goddess. It runs on divine power. There’s no use researching it.
November 13, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by kae
sbworkersunited.org
As of this morning, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE. And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history.

Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX
Don't Buy Starbucks! At any location, today and beyond, while workers are on ULP strike!
November 13, 2025 at 11:33 AM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 12 - Shirt

Levi is having a prophecy to prove Gastone's loyalty to the Merx. Hard to pull one over on the boss when he employs a guy who can see the future.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Gastone looks cool now. His hair is pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck and the top button of his black, collared shirt is undone. He’s in a dim hallway with cold, gray tiled floors and walls. At the end of the hallway is a window. I step forward to peer out the glass and am surprised to see other buildings blocking the view. So, we’re not in the tower, we’re down in the city. This is as close as I’ve ever been to it. Gastone is with three others, all dressed in similar dark colors. One of them kneels in front of a door, fiddles with the keycard reader. There’s a heavy click and the door opens. The power flashes me forward in time.
November 12, 2025 at 3:10 PM
krholton.bsky.social
I finished the zero draft of Firstborn's Legacy (book 2 of my Prophets trilogy)!! It's so messy, and is going to take a lot of revision, but there are a lot of really good pieces in here.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
November 11, 2025 at 4:17 PM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 11 - Burger

No burger, but they do have frozen pizza pockets. :p

This is from The Last Firstborn, my dystopian fantasy WIP
Wes stole a pizza pocket from my plate, so I grabbed the last one before my dinner vanished. “Some congressman disappeared, I guess. People are up in arms about it because he spoke out against the Merx a few times and it looks pretty suspicious. They’ve got a bill going through legislation right now and he was against it. Now he’s gone.” I stopped chewing. Aumbrose’s comment—I thought it had just been a morbid joke. He didn’t have them under his thumb the way he had us, right? The food turned tasteless in my mouth. I set the plate down on the coffee table and swallowed. “What’s wrong?” asked Wes. “Do you know something?” he added when I didn’t answer quick enough. Dinner was turning sour in my stomach.
November 11, 2025 at 3:40 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Levi does not condone revenge! It's against the teachings of the scripture! Anyone who seeks revenge should feel ashamed of themselves!

And so he feels shame because he can't help but want revenge on the man who killed his father.
cometkins.bsky.social Ian Haramaki 🏳️‍⚧️✨ @cometkins.bsky.social · 10d
How does your MC feel about revenge? Is there anybody they want to take out? Do they think it would be satisfactory? #WritingPrompt
November 10, 2025 at 4:12 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Gotta love when a profile says #noAI in their bio, but then all of their posts look like AI. 🙄
November 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 10 - Local

Swapped for Nearby. This is Levi's first introduction to Eno's life and when the realities of living in the city start sinking in.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
Eno’s shoulder dipped as he stepped down to exit the street—the floor of whatever room we were entering was sunken into the ground by several feet. After we’d descended, the door slid closed behind us with a grating crunch. Several of the nearby conversations stopped as we took a few more steps into the room. It got quieter and quieter the further we went, and I somehow felt the eyes on me. “What’s wrong?” I whispered. “You look like you’re from the tower.” And what could I do about that? It wasn’t my fault that— “Here,” Eno said and placed my hand on the back of a plastic chair. “I’ll get you something warm to drink.” I sat down and all the aches in my legs and feet that I’d been trying to ignore came screaming for my attention. I was in front of a tall table, or maybe a bar. Murmuring resumed all around the room, but the tone was more tense.
November 10, 2025 at 2:53 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Clawing my way back up to par

#WriteRAWR #WritingChallenge #Trackbear
screenshot of a line graph showing word count progress over Oct & Nov. The progress is just below a blue line that represents "par."
November 9, 2025 at 11:22 PM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 9 - Picture

Wes' first time in the actual city in The Last Firstborn.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky #cyberpunk
Kile did his best to hold Wes back and answer his litany of questions about everything he could see. I’d started off as annoyed at him for this childlike wonder, but his constant string of inquiries actually helped me put together a clearer picture of the city. And I had to remember: he’d never been down to the city either. He’d been just as sheltered from the realities of life down here as I had. His only exposure was through citynet forums. He chattered on and on about the neon lights on all the buildings and all the different colors they came in. I guessed that’s what that ever-present, faint humming sound was. He asked how the buildings and the pavement withstood the rain. Apparently a lot of them didn’t, but many were painted over and over with a rubberized coating that allowed water to slough off into the gutters instead of degrading the permeable brick.
November 9, 2025 at 4:09 PM
krholton.bsky.social
Tonight, I am writing the action climax of my story and repeating "I'll make it good in the next draft" over and over like a mantra. 😆

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
November 9, 2025 at 3:33 AM
krholton.bsky.social
It's my catnip fund, and I want it *meow*

#caturday #OneOrangeBraincell
photo of an orange cat looking directly at camera and meowing
November 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
krholton.bsky.social
#WIPSnips - Nov 8 - Little

Prophet Levi has lived his whole life wearing a blindfold. That has never stopped Wes from being an annoying kid brother.

#WritingCommunity #WriteSky
We were in the cathedral vestry, surrounded by cedar chests and anointing oils, separate from the world of plasteel and autodoors outside. There wasn’t even a comms terminal in here. So, when the door opened without so much as a courtesy chime, I jumped. Sharply sweet perfume entered the vestry, cutting through the more earthy scents. Vivienne Merx had arrived. So, it was time. Wes made his way toward the door with soft footsteps. His brassy voice was pinched with tension when he said, “Remember what we talked about. I’ll see you there, Levi.” “I won’t see you.” Our little joke. Only I’d never found it very funny. Especially not now. Especially not with what I planned to do. He left me alone with Vivienne.
November 8, 2025 at 4:14 PM