Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
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sayaashrah.bsky.social
Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
@sayaashrah.bsky.social
2.9K followers 1.4K following 21K posts
- Narrative Designer & Book Writer 📝
- She/Her 🏳️‍🌈
- Author of World Without Love (https://linktr.ee/NicoleHidalgoAuthor) & Chronicles of the Realms (https://archiveofourown.org/works/63099754/chapters/161589157)
- ⚠️Lesbian/Demonic NSFW
- Anti AI slop
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sayaashrah.bsky.social
Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo @sayaashrah.bsky.social · May 29
"I know who and what I am now, and under the promise of dawn and the serenity of the night, I weave my destiny with my own hands, for I belong to myself, and no creature, whether born in the pits of thorns or in the golden river, can tell me who I am."

#SayaAshrah #ChroniclesOfTheRealms #DigitalArt
Ashrah bust, commission from Saphnoctis (Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/saphnoctis/). The drawing is a three-quarter view of Ashrah wearing her Balance is a Journey outfit (the golden, Barong-shaped pauldrons, the purple selendang, the white collar of the white kebaya, and the Garuda-shaped pendants tying the kebaya together), her purple eyes looking to the right, and her hair done in her usual, warrior-like topknot.
sayaashrah.bsky.social
I think I'm ready to embrace the fact that this is the best face Ashrah has gotten in video games so far. Yes, I love her BG3 version as well, but here... she looks amazing! If only the game would allow me to make her eyes fully purple, it would be perfect!

#SayaAshrahGames #Nioh3
Slightly low-angle, three-quarter view shot of Ashrah in Nioh 3 with Guhin flying beside her. Medium shot of Ashrah in Nioh 3 with a river behind her. Medium shot of Ashrah in Nioh 3 with a fiercer expression. The symbol of a sovereign power stamps the white cloth of the tent behind her.
February 3, 2026 at 2:58 AM
sayaashrah.bsky.social
#AwesomeCharacters I wrote Quan Chi like I did most characters: flawed but relatable on some level. He's not a villain, he's the protagonist of his own story who, as I said before, mirrors the MCs in many ways. So no, it wouldn't surprise me if he (1/2)

#ChroniclesOfTheRealms #EmissaryQuanChi
charliedeltawrites.bsky.social ❄️Charlie (Chelizabeth) Delta ☃️ @charliedeltawrites.bsky.social · 3h
Tell me more about your #AwesomeCharacters

Antagonist day! Are they likeable?

Would it surprise you if your antagonist was someone's favorite character?

Were they written to be cathartically hateable? Sympathetic but flawed? Somewhere in between?

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
February 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
laurenknight.bsky.social
It's about the yearning 🤌. Put this on my patreon first but it's free so, I don't feel bad putting it here too. It deserves to be seen.
An impressive example of acute procrastination. The artist has painstakingly drawn and coloured a full comic page of a pair of dragon age ocs. Their's is a perfect enemies to lovers story I can't be arsed typing up here. Panel 1, two women stand in front of a fire. Neassa, on the left, has short dark hair and is wearing black armor. There's evidence of puncture wounds in her chestpiece and uh... Shoulder bit? She's gently cupping a blonde woman's face. This is Cassie, she's dressed in Grey warden mage Armour. Panels 2-5 run down the right hand side of the page and detail stages of a kiss between the two women. Yes, this was as difficult to draw as you can imagine. But hopefully the effect it worth it. TLDR a warrior class coded brunette from is kissing a blonde Grey warden mage. #myart
February 2, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
sakokii.bsky.social
[Full View] Mana ⨯ Mori 💕
February 2, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
theronshan3666.bsky.social
-Perish- (death)
#WIPSnips #WriteSky
#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #ColonialHistory #Algonquin #HistoricalFiction
你不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不不你 Winter 1778 — Pennsylvania Snow crept into everything. It fell hard and fast as they paused on the battlefield. Jeremiah's breath burned his lungs as he leaned against the ruined stone wall, fingers numb around the musket he had never truly learned to love. Around them, the forest was silent in the way only deep cold could make it—as if the land itself had stepped back. Kitchi knelt beside him, quick and sure, binding the torn cloth tighter around Jeremiah's side. "Stay with me," Kitchi said quietly. "I am," Jeremiah answered, though his voice betrayed him. The fighting had scattered at dusk. Not victory. Not defeat. Just survival thinning into night. Kitchi rested his forehead against Jeremiah's for a moment, breathing him in, memorizing what little time remained. "They will keep coming," Jeremiah said. "Yes," Kitchi replied. "And your people?" "They are already moving," Kitchi said. "South and west. Away from this place." Jeremiah swallowed. "Good." Kitchi's hand found his, fingers locking tight. "Do not be afraid." "I'm not," Jeremiah said honestly. "I only wish—" "I know," Kitchi said. "So do I." Jeremiah leaned up against him. "Not much longer now." He coughed up blood. Kitchi's face froze into concern and fear. He slid his arms around Jeremiah and picked him up, cradling him close. Kitchi moved carefully through the trees, Jeremiah's weight against him, every step was deliberate. Quiet. The battlefield behind them had gone still not peace, only exhaustion. He found the hollow just as the light began to change, a fold in the land sheltered by rock and pine. Hidden. Safe enough. He laid Jeremiah down gently, as if the war might still hear. Jeremiah stirred, eyes half-lidded. "You... didn't leave me." "Never," Kitchi said. He built a small fire, shielding it with his body, feeding it what little he dared. Then he knelt and pressed his forehead to Jeremiah's. "You carried me far enough," Jeremiah whispered Kitchi's jaw tightened. "We are not finished." Jeremiah smiled faintly, looking up at him. "But we are, Nindode'emin." Kitchi took his hand, holding it firmly, anchoring what was already slipping away. He spoke softly, not to the world, not to spirits — only to him. "hCnona." 1 am here. Tears slipped down his bronze cheeks. Jeremiah's fingers tightened once. Then loosened. Kitchi stayed through the cold creeping in, through the fire dimming, through the sky paling into morning. He wrapped Jeremiah close, shielding him from a world that had already taken too much. When Jeremiah's breath finally stilled, Kitchi did not move. He rested his forehead against Jeremiah's chest and remained there until the cold made the last decision. Kitchi carries the wounded Jeremiah to safety. *art by Preston Tucker
February 2, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
sayaashrah.bsky.social
#WIPSnips 2. “Perish”

Datusha tries to convince Ashrah to do something she doesn’t want to... and in this case, the sword might not be wrong.

#ChroniclesOfTheRealms #SayaAshrah #DatushaCotR #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #QueerWriters
Yielding to the darkness will eclipse the light you gift me. “At first, there would be some conflict of interest, yes. But if you master your darkness, you can make it more susceptible to my purging.” Ashrah nibbled at her lower lip. It had taken her forty thousand Pulses to weave a second skin when most elbhyrs decided on theirs in their first five thousand. None had felt right when she imagined herself dressed in it, not when she had no intention of becoming a hunter of mortals. But since that fateful day when she witnessed the song of freedom and adopted her new form, a form that harmonised the chaos within her, that made her proud to look at her reflection—a pride that filled her soul with joy and not with hunger—she had fought her hardest to keep her demonic flesh wrapped under her spiritual skin. It was not always possible. Feeding on demons did not sustain her as much as she needed. To escape the Abyss, to strengthen herself for important battles and recover herself afterwards, she had sought prey in the fertile souls of the living. She did not regret it; to ensure her liberty, she would doom as many mortals to the Abyss as she must. But she could tread another path now. She could purify herself and extinguish her darkness once and for all—the only way she would ever achieve absolute freedom. The more power darkness tastes, the more it yearns for. Let it wither and perish. And if it resists, I shall strangle it with my blessed hands.
February 2, 2026 at 11:44 AM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
adorkablesmile.bsky.social
#WIPSnips have a lil snip today - something reminiscent of the Endurance expedition.

#WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts
"PERISH The ship stuck fast in the ice, unable to push forward through the floe or reverse back the way it came in the fast-closing passage. "All hands!" the captain yelled, marching through the decks. "Provision sleds! Feed the dogs! We strike out for the edge of the floe in an hour!" "Are you sure this is wise, captain?" the first mate asked amid the bustle. "The pack is thick and fast moving - keeping to a heading will be nearly impossible." A sound caused them both to start. The ship creaked and groaned, iron hull crying out as irresistible forces pressed against it. The sound went on for some time before slowly, finally, abating. "We either go now, or we perish," the captain said. "I don't like it, but we have no choice. All Hands! To the sleds!""
February 2, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
professoremily.bsky.social
#Febchantment 2

My #Atlantis trilogy has a hard magic system. There is a set amount of energy crystals can hold, depending on their size, & I have notes on how much energy it takes to do different tasks. There's also a specific process for using them.

That said - did I calculate the physics🧵1/8
professoremily.bsky.social Prof Emily @professoremily.bsky.social · 22h
#Febchantment Day 2

Do you have a "hard" or "soft" magic system?

In other words, does your magic system have strictly defined rules (think: Brandon Sanderson's books)? Or is it more undefined, mostly vibes/rule of cool (think: Gandalf from LOTR)? Somewhere in between?

#writingcommunity #writesky
#Febchantment prompt for Feb #2: Is your magic system "hard" (i.e. with clearly defined rules) or "soft" (mostly vibes)? Text is white letters on a blue background featuring a magic book with lots of sparkles, and a yellow octopus dressed as Glinda the Good Witch sitting in the bottom right corner. Hosted by @professoremily.bsky.social
February 2, 2026 at 12:39 PM
sayaashrah.bsky.social
Person: *reads my Alywyll chapters* "This is very cool, I like it... also, Alywyll reminds me of Ashrah."
a woman wearing glasses covering her face with her hand and the words i 'm getting exposed below her
Alt: GIF of a woman covering her face with her hand while saying, "I'm getting exposed."
media.tenor.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
pjccahill.bsky.social
If you're looking for some fun, sapphic-focused stories, there's another bundle available in Itch! (NICEF is in this one, too! It features 2 wlw couples, including the primary romance)

itch.io/b/3483/sapph...

22 books for $22 USD! (NICEF alone is normally $8.99, so it's a great deal!)
#booksky 📢📚
Sapphic Stories by enoli lee and 19 others
Sapphic Stories: 22 items for $22.00
itch.io
February 2, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
alexfromawen.bsky.social
#Febchantment 2

I think my magic systems probably fall somewhere in between. Both have defined costs to the users, but how that cost affects each user we see on the page can vary. Vibrational Bending is probably the most nebulous, whereas the tattoo magic effect is more visible, literally. 😅
professoremily.bsky.social Prof Emily @professoremily.bsky.social · 22h
#Febchantment Day 2

Do you have a "hard" or "soft" magic system?

In other words, does your magic system have strictly defined rules (think: Brandon Sanderson's books)? Or is it more undefined, mostly vibes/rule of cool (think: Gandalf from LOTR)? Somewhere in between?

#writingcommunity #writesky
#Febchantment prompt for Feb #2: Is your magic system "hard" (i.e. with clearly defined rules) or "soft" (mostly vibes)? Text is white letters on a blue background featuring a magic book with lots of sparkles, and a yellow octopus dressed as Glinda the Good Witch sitting in the bottom right corner. Hosted by @professoremily.bsky.social
February 2, 2026 at 12:58 PM
sayaashrah.bsky.social
Astral Bound sisters 💪🏽💜💙

#SayaAshrahGames #Nioh3 #VirtualPhotography
Silhouette shot of Ashrah in Nioh 3 with her katana held before her. Side, silhouette shot of Ashrah in Nioh 3 wielding her dual swords and wearing the Ninja garment.
February 2, 2026 at 3:54 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
cometkins.bsky.social
How about a promo day? If you're a Black author, please share your work here and how to best support you :) OR, share your favorite recent read from a Black author #WritingPrompt
February 2, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
sayaashrah.bsky.social
Oh! How my heart aches and beats for them 😭🥺🥰

#ChroniclesOfTheRealms #SayaAshrah #CaptainNitara #Ashtara #LesFic
“May I spend the day with you?” Her eyelids fluttered open, meeting the light in Ashrah’s eyes, so tender but bright enough to light up the entire room. “I’ll sleep, and you’ll get bored.” “I promise I will not.” She laid her head against Nitara’s chest. Closed her eyes. Nitara buried her fingers in “Your body on mine, it warms me. But this fire does not hurt. I hear your heart beating, so close to my empty chest, and for these moments, it is as if I have a heart, too.” Nitara stroked her cheek, marvelling at the peace glowing on Ashrah’s face, a face that had been the stage for so much anger and pain. “You don’t need a heart to be who you are. To love. You know that, right?” Ashrah opened her eyes, tilting her head up to look at Nitara. A smile formed on her lips, and Nitara followed its curve with the pad of her finger. “I know.” “Then I will be your heart. If you will be my soul.” A digital illustration of Ashrah and Nitara, from Chronicles of the Realms, by Seph (@goethial.bsky.social‬). It depicts the two characters back to back, holding hands, as they prepare for another fight, Ashrah brandishing Datusha, her sentient, keris-shaped sword, and Nitara summoning her dark magic. One of Nitara's wings stands behind Ashrah, almost like a shield, while the other is behind Nitara herself, in shadows. Nitara is about a head and half taller than Ashrah.
February 1, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
birdko.art
commission : mogrid the hobgoblin fighter, and steely dan the construct tortoise ⚔️

[ #art #artcommission #OCart #DnDart #TTRPG ]
Digital illustration of a male hobgoblin leaning on a robotic tortoise. The hobgoblin has red skin and black hair in a half-updo, a rust-coloured mechanical prosthetic arm, and wears dark toned splint armour. The tortoise has glowing blue eyes and has a saddle. Characters belong to a private client.
February 2, 2026 at 12:52 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
selunitejeanne.bsky.social
#OCTakeoverWeek2026 Day 2 - Family

Family trip to Baldur's gate - Circa 1505 DR🤍

#Silverleaf #Shadowheart #JeanneOC #DaughterYenna #DaughterElara #DaughterNeoma
February 2, 2026 at 1:02 PM
sayaashrah.bsky.social
#OCTakeoverWeek2026 Day 2 - Family

Unfortunately, I don't yet have a drawing of the Coliary family together yet :(

But here are the creatures Ashrah loves: her sister, Sareena; (her with) her wife, Nitara; her adopted daughter, Askaly; and her sword, Datusha :)

#SayaAshrah #ChroniclesOfTheRealms
Full-body drawing of Sareena by Aowna (@aowna.bsky.social‬). It depicts Sareena mid-walk, one foot in front of the other, gripping Alalil (her chained scythes) in each hand, the weapon's chains seeming to dance around her. Her short hair, black with a streak of white, flares with the movement, her horns curling above her head, and she has one of her mischievous smirks on her pale blue face. A digital illustration of Ashrah and Nitara, from Chronicles of the Realms, by Seph (@goethial.bsky.social‬). It depicts the two characters back to back, holding hands, as they prepare for another fight, Ashrah brandishing Datusha, her sentient, keris-shaped sword, and Nitara summoning her dark magic. One of Nitara's wings stands behind Ashrah, almost like a shield, while the other is behind Nitara herself, in shadows. Nitara is about a head and half taller than Ashrah. Digital painting of Askaly (pronounced ash-kah-loo) Coliary, from Chronicles of the Realms, by Disc (@disco4ia.bsky.social). It depicts her in three-quarter view, her lovely smile and red eyes directed at the viewer, her hair tucked behind her ear. Illustration of Ashrah wearing her Balance is a Journey outfit, made by Drafru (https://bsky.app/profile/drafru.bsky.social). In it, Ashrah wears a white, long-sleeved kebaya with golden bracelets on her wrists and upper arm, pauldrons shaped like Barong's face, and eagle-shaped pendants across her torso to tie the kebaya together. A purple selendang is draped over her left shoulder. The rest of the drawing has been clipped out to focus on the upper portion of her body and Datusha, her keris-shaped sword, which she grips in her right hand.
February 2, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
lucidillusions.in
I haven't used “perish” at all o_o

so here's a #WIPSnips (working with vibe) for a story I wrote last month so I could send it out to @rottingleafmag.bsky.social (as soon as the window opened, which I did yesterday)

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity #WritingPrompts #WritersLift #AmWriting #BookSky 🤞
"redacted," she wrote, her vision blurring. "It succeeded in making the world a single, interconnected mind. It just happens that the mind is obsessive-compulsive and trapped in a dying body. We are the architects of our own haunting."
February 2, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
pamelaelaela.bsky.social
Mundy has concerns about Danbi traveling to Korea on her own, especially considering the father she was looking for was just found dead in Alaska.

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #AmQuerying
📚💙
Chloe asks softly, “Have you tried talking to your mom, Danickers? I know it’s not easy, but—” “No! She doesn’t want to talk to me! And what else am I supposed to do?” My voice comes out loud. There are some other people pitching a tent within earshot, and their heads perk before they resume their business. “I’m sick of having zero information. I’m sick of trying to figure out a future when I know next to nothing about my past!” There is this black hole feeling I get when I have to talk about my family. A dense void that swirls right between my chest and stomach. A brewing emptiness that points only at itself, at the lack of substance. I’ve wondered what that feeling is, and I think it’s shame. Mundy looks down, shaking his head. “D, I’m not trying to discourage you. I’m just…look, when my mom died, I thought I’d never be me again. I could’ve wondered forever, about the me I lost when I lost her.” He gives me an apologetic smile. “I don’t want that for you. But…if you still want to go, of course we’re with you.” I look at him, and the black hole feeling lightens. “Thanks.” “And I’m literally with you,” Chloe chirps, “because I’m totally coming. Thus, the many bags.” I grin. “You didn’t.” “Oh, I did. Bought my ticket yesterday. My dad didn’t even blink. He said, ‘Use the Amex, and don’t tell your mother.’ Thinks she’s going to take more of his money in the divorce, as if she needs it. People do the most insane things out of guilt.” I laugh, throwing my arms around her. “You are insane.” “Now I’m jealous.” Mundy pouts. “Think of all the good food you’ll eat.” I squeeze him too. “I’ll bring you back twenty kinds of instant ramen.”
February 2, 2026 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
acturek.bsky.social
#fantasy #WritingCommunity #WriteSky #WIPSnips #perish

Rushak and his horse pick their way through the aftermath of a battle. His first experience with war.

- From Brother’s Keeper, first book of my fantasy WIP about two brothers bound by a misunderstood power.
He had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He was no warrior; he had fainted from fear and felt no shame over it. But he had taken life, and he bent now and again to retrieve spent arrows as he walked as though he would take life again. Nausea welled, disgust or homelonging twisting amid his grief. These people had perished in homelonging. The death ground now was silent, but in his ears the drumbeats pulsed. Quietly, as with cloth-covered mallets on hairy heads—almost whispers, as if they came from within his mind; and only the fearsome rhythm, one he had never heard or imagined before, told him they did not. He could not see the standing stone, but he remembered the direction. The woods thickened, pines and fuzzy firs pungent and sticky with sap. Frasca stalked beside him, stiff-necked, ears askew. The pine smell mingled with myriad others, smells of blood and death. But against every prick of instinct she stayed with him, as she always would. Brother's Keeper A.C. Turek
February 2, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
zprospero.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

CW: Suicide

I had to go with “Die”.

Not a big spoiler, but probably the biggest gut punch moment in all of “Hell Is Work”.

#WriteSky #WritingCommunity
February 2, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
sayaashrah.bsky.social
Because of the dual samurai/ninja style, my headcanon for Nioh 3 is that Ashrah (samurai) and Sareena (ninja) have Astral Bound, a very advanced spiritual magic technique that allows the Mystic to connect their soul to another creature's, sharing strengths and weaknesses 😊 +

#SayaAshrahGames #Nioh3
Medium, three-quarter shot of Ashrah in Nioh 3. The hilt of her sword sticks out from her waist and into the foreground. A purple light illuminates the right side of her face and under her left arm. She has a focused expression. Side shot of Ashrah in Nioh 3 wielding her dual swords and wearing the Ninja garment. A soft blue light shines on her front.
February 1, 2026 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
cjzero.bsky.social
Billie Eilish: "No one is illegal on stolen land"
February 2, 2026 at 3:15 AM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
lizzieblackwood.bsky.social
#TBRuary 2:

My pick for today is Breath, Warmth, and Dream by Zig Zag Claybourne! I've been meaning to read this author for a while because he's one of those folks who's been irrepressibly kind and fun online, someone full of light and joy. I just picked up the first two books of the series!
Book cover featuring the silhouettes of two Black women reaching their hands toward each. Text reads: ZIG ZAG CLAYBOURNE THE KHUMALO TRILOGY BOOK ONE BREATH WARMTH & DREAM Back cover of Breath, Warmth, and Dream: WHEN MOTHER KHUMALO finds the perfect lodging, well away from people, work, and adventure, she settles in with daughter Amnandi for an extended stay. Her trips into the nearby, highly sensible port town of Waterfall leave her wary. Something is most definitely not right, and witches notice more than they'd like. A ruthless mage, an angry ghost, and a bone-crunching demon certainly do not wish to be noticed. Magick is about to return to Waterfall, whether the town wants it or not. "With the same unique vision, narrative energy, and humor Zig Zag Claybourne brought to the genre-bending, Afrofuturist space operas The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan and Afro Puffs Are the Antennae of the Universe, in his new fantasy, Breath, Warmth, and Dream, he spins a tale of magic and witchcraft set in a wholly original imaginary realm. Different, deep, and fun." JEFFREY FORD, author of The Twilight Pariah
February 2, 2026 at 5:32 AM
Reposted by Nicole "Ashrah" Hidalgo
professoremily.bsky.social
#TBRuary 2

I picked up "Children of Blood & Bone" a while back, but haven't got around to reading it yet. The author Tomi Adeyemi is Nigerian American, & the story is inspired by West African mythology.

No idea if it's good or not but I liked that it stood out from a lot of other popular YA!
Cover of CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE by Tomi Adeyemi, featuring a black cover filled with a swirling white flame, and at the bottom is the top of a person's head with dark skin and a red head covering staring at you intensely
February 2, 2026 at 11:34 AM