Atlanas E. Kildarin
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atlanas.bsky.social
Atlanas E. Kildarin
@atlanas.bsky.social
76 followers 81 following 510 posts
A bi/pan reader, writer, tutor, singer, and supporter of creative arts. (She/her)

YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/Atlanas
Archive of Our Own: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlanas_e_kildarin/profile
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atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSeptember

September 17: My Autumn TBR

“Redneck Revenant,” book 4 in the Adam Binder series by @drslayton.bsky.social (which will be released in October)

Legends & Lattes (*again* because it’s so cozy😆) and the prequel “Bookshops and Bone Dust” by @travisbaldree.bsky.social
September 17, 2025 at 3:26 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesSeptember

September 6: Saturday Snippet.

Ayesha rarely plays any sports anymore due to his busy schedule. Renga somehow gets him to play a game.

The snippet is available in the alt text for the image, which I made with HeroForge.
Ayesha stood with the ball in his hand, readying to toss it, his other hand prepared to strike. But he hesitated. He hadn't played since he was a child. Renga waited patiently on the other side of the net, face completely serious . . . Then Renga stuck his tongue out at him. Ayesha snorted and laughed. "What was *that*?" "It was me," Renga called, waving. "I was reminding you to stop being so serious." Renga frowned in a mimicry of Ayesha's frown. "Believe me, I think it has been much longer since I played this game than you. I will not judge. Just have fun."
September 7, 2025 at 2:10 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
September 4, 2025 at 2:02 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 29: Favorite Characters

I took this to mean *any* character, so Drizzy Do'Urden from "Forgotten Realms" is my favorite character.😆 I started reading books about him in high school, and that influenced my writing development and my focus on character background.
August 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 24: Character names/meanings in "Shaman of Hinam"

Lan's name is the only name I kept the same since I started the story. It works because I now instinctively relate his name to LAN (Local Area Network). He is naturally connected to the forest.
Lan made with Hero Forge. His name might not have changed, but his character design has changed a lot!
August 26, 2025 at 1:28 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 22: Character design for "Shaman of Hinam"

I've been updating the body proportions of Ayesha on HeroForge to make him more realistic. The base models on HeroForge are slightly cartoonish. (I feel like his head is still too big! 😆)

#HeroForge
#CharacterCreation
August 23, 2025 at 2:55 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 17: Flash Fiction

A small side story for "Shaman of Hinam."
He didn't think he would ever find a peaceful life. But he'd managed. He didn't think he'd find a place of his own. He had a boat and a home of his own. He didn't think he would ever have a family. But he did. He had the rainforest. He had every creature and plant and spirit that existed in the twisting, dark, vibrant, beautiful world of the Tarma. He could speak to them, he could *be* any of them if he wished. The bees. The caribou. The parrots. The trees. The jaguars. He wasn't alone. He had a family. So there was absolutely no reason why he could see that smile during the performance of the Hinam Night Theatre and want to see that smile for days, months, perhaps years to come. He was not missing anything in his life. He kept trying to convince himself that he would not miss anything once he was gone.
August 19, 2025 at 12:52 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 16: Saturday snippet

This is from a scene in “Shaman of Hinam” that may or may not happen in the main story, but the setting still exists in the world.
The room Ayesha was in was decorated with artwork from all over the known world. There were tapestries from the empire, a chess set in the corner of the room on a low table, orchids, a sliding doorway that led to a small garden filled with flowers Ayesha had never seen before, and perhaps no one had ever seen. There was even a see-through glass bottle featuring sand blue and white sand art and a bowl full of shells of all shapes and sizes. The room next to the bedroom was a writing room. There were scrolls, manuscripts, leather bound books, and even an imperial styled writing desk. There was even a collection of imperial-styled stationery. There were calligraphy pens, an easel, a half-finished painting of a giant stone building with a tower, and even a painting of a dog with a fish in its mouth. But on the wall, out of place and ill-fitting in a room of creation, art, and scholarship, was a ruined set of armor, an imperial army compound bow, and a quiver of arrows with the arrows still in it.
August 19, 2025 at 12:28 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 15: comfort show: Run with the Wind aka Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru.

It's about a group of college students who train for the Hakone Ekiden together. It has a wonderful cast of characters. Its message is that being the best is not the most important thing in the world.
August 18, 2025 at 11:59 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
Made Lady Dimitrescu in HeroForge. Couldn't stop until I finished it. The hardest part was the dress! 🤣 All that fabric probably had over a hundred points that needed to be moved and rotated.
#HeroForge
#LadyDimitrescu
#ResidentEvil
August 15, 2025 at 5:43 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 12: last, current, and next reads

Last: Legends and Lattes: Travis Baldree

Current: They Called Us Enemy: George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, Harmony Becker

Next: It Rhymes with Takei: George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, Harmony Becker
August 12, 2025 at 3:52 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 9: Snippet

Ayesha discovers his gardener and his servant are together. 😆💙
As Ayesha walked through the halls, he heard laughter. He looked discretely to his right as he passed by one of the rooms. The servant who served him food and who took away his dishes was kissing his gardener, who also happened to be a woman. Ayesha realized with dawning awe the reason the grass in his garden sometimes looked like someone had flattened it by rolling all over it. He should have been offended. He should have reprimanded anyone who dared violate the space of a revered shaman. Instead, Ayesha walked faster, his face blushing wildly, and he exited the palace and into the crowds of revelers.
August 9, 2025 at 7:56 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 3: Book Cover ideas for "Shaman of Hinam" made with the help of Hero Forge.

Here is a recreation of an older book cover idea. The character models were made with HeroForge.
Shaman of Hinam book cover. Renga (at the top) Ayesha (In the middle) Lan (at the bottom)
August 4, 2025 at 9:55 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesAugust

August 2: Snippet Saturday

Some worldbuilding notes from “Shaman of Hinam” (This is currently the stage I am in 😁) along with a related image made with Hero Forge.
🟢 On fertile land of rivers, mountains, and valleys, free of the ice and with the introduction of foreign plants, the Tarma forest began to grow. Defenders and invaders alike who died in the forest sometimes rose again as forest spirits, wandering aimlessly throughout the Tarma, angry and bitter, or at peace. The ones who were at peace became gaurdians, keeping the people they swore in life to protect safe. These wandering forest spirits, both malevolent and benevolent, unknowingly fostered the growth of the tropical rainforest in the Tarma. Lanjranda, the most powerful jungle spirit in the Tarma, is a neutral spirit, usually a silent observer, appearing to people in the forms of animals that have died and decayed in the forest. Lanjranda sometimes becomes dormant for thousands of years, rising again when there is a disturbance. Years before “Shaman of Hinam” starts, a war tears the land apart and a fire begins in the Tarma. Lanjranda, spirit burnt and charred by the damage to the forest, awakes in a rage to find who was responsible. Lanjranda is not happy, but this lost person he found in the forest is not at fault for the forest fire.
August 4, 2025 at 7:34 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
I just subscribed to HeroForge so I could use the Pro features.
Had to ditch my first attempt with Kitbash because I accidentally messed up the pose of his jaw, but restarting and trying again on my Sea Witch was completely worth it.
#HeroForge
August 2, 2025 at 4:45 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly
July 31: Wrap up

This month consisted mostly of worldbuilding. I figured out a lot about when and where the story takes place. I am so excited to use that knowledge as I go back to composing the story itself.

Here is Kwosa in red and Ayesha in green. (Made with HeroForge)
Kwosa, current leader of Hinam. Ayesha’s foster brother. Ayesha, a Shaman of Hinam.
July 31, 2025 at 5:59 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

July 26 snippet: confession
The server arrived to the table with their pot of tea. As Ayesha poured both of them a cup of the brew , he asked, “What encouraged you to become a writer?” “I am fascinated by stories of people,” Renga confessed. “And I found out by chance that I was very good at telling them.” “How does someone discover that by chance?” Ayesha asked curiously. Renga hesitated. “I am a practiced healer,” he admitted, but Ayesha had no clue why he would hesitate to say such a thing. “When I tell stories to my patients, it seems to captivate them and lessen their pain. Many of them tell me stories in return. Both the telling of stories and being told stories encouraged me to write.”
July 28, 2025 at 6:04 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

July 19 snippet: quiet
Kwosa (nicknamed Sa) realizes how close to death his brother Ayesha was.
Ayesha finally let out a breath and let himself lean against Sa. Sa hugged his brother carefully and they stood still for a long moment in silence. “Did I nearly lose you too?” Sa said quietly, pain and grief in his voice. Ayesha put an arm around his brother and squeezed his shoulder in a quiet affirmative. Sa’s jaw clenched. “I will give you a leave of absence. At least for this week.” “There are ceremonies I must participate in. And it is not only up to you, Sa,” Ayesha protested, but it was a weak protest. His very bones were crying out for a reprieve. “There is more than one shaman in this city,” Sa said. “And there are two others with just as much authority as you that can take over your duties. You need to rest.”
July 19, 2025 at 10:40 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

July 15: “Shaman of Hinam” lines I am proud of. 🐅
Ayesha’s memory of what happened next was a blurred, painful thing, but through it all, with his detached acceptance of whatever fate awaited him, he was aware of the sounds of thousands of bees, of becoming weightless and formless, his fever twisting what was real and what was not in his mind and memory. The damp and humid jungle transformed into a lake of lotus blossoms and the gentle scent of incense. He woke up, slept, woke up, and drifted in hallucinations about his childhood, about his foster father, and memories and regrets. When Ayesha fully awoke, it was in the embrace of soft and dry blankets and the profound and deep understanding that something unfathomably dangerous was watching over him.
July 15, 2025 at 7:44 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

July 12: snippet: complicated
The conversation was too complicated. Ayesha could hear the words, but understanding it was like trying to scale the side of a rain-slicked cliff without any handholds. His fingers just scraped uselessly across the wet stone. So instead of trying to respond or understand, Ayesha touched the hand that was on his shoulder with weak fingers. The hand was enormous, long-fingered, and clawed. It was surely not a human hand, but it was a solid weight that Ayesha found comforting, more comforting than it should have been. When Ayesha squeezed the hand in a silent “thank you,” there was a loud breath, a short burst of air that sounded a bit like laughter, and then the giant hand was squeezing his hand gently.
July 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

July 8: Funniest Character in “Shaman of Hinam”

Ever since my original concept for him, Ayesha’s friend/foster brother is the funniest character. In public, he is the respectable leader of Hinam. In private, he’s make jokes and is surprisingly street-smart.
Ayesha held up his new compass. “Here.” “What is that?” Sa asked curiously. “A compass that keeps mosquitoes away.” Sa sputtered as Ayesha dropped it into his hands. “And you found this out here in the dock markets?” Sa said. Ayesha patted Sa’s shoulder. “You said I was lucky.” “You are absurdly lucky. Keep the compass. Keep it. Fate has decided you should have it, with that luck.” He poked Ayesha with the compass until Ayesha laughed, bumped Sa with his elbow, and Ayesha slipped the compass away into the purse under his robes.
July 8, 2025 at 2:10 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

July 5: Saturday Snippet Humor
“Shamans can feel them,” Ayesha said. “Everyone. Everyone has a presence and we can tell when someone’s spiritual energy has been corrupted, harmed, or has become a danger to others.” As he said this, Ayesha thought of Renga’s presence. It felt like sunshine. It was calming, cheerful, good humored, and bright. Ayesha frowned a little. Most people’s spiritual signatures were multifaceted, but Renga’s was surprisingly complex. Perhaps, like Ayesha, he was wearing robes with protections sown into the stitching.
July 5, 2025 at 6:58 PM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

July 4: favorite books growing up

The “Protector of the Small” series by Tamara Pierce. @tamorapierce.bsky.social. I still remember seeing that wonderful cover at the library. It encouraged me to read more books and taught me a lot about building and creating characters.
July 5, 2025 at 3:40 AM
atlanas.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesJuly

Hi everyone! I’m Atlanas. I write fantasy, FanFiction, sci-fi, romance, and other genres. I’m a former Sims 3 Machinima YouTuber. My WIP for this month is “Shaman of Hinam” and some Dragon Age FanFiction. 😁
Image made with the help of “HeroForge.” Title “Shaman of Hinam” The main character Ayesha stands heroically while holding gosh darned lightning in his hand.
July 1, 2025 at 2:20 PM
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#LGBTQWriteAThon

June 29: last line for “Shaman of Hinam”

I don’t have a last line yet. But I have a last line for an alternate ending I wrote years ago that isn’t possible anymore because the story is drastically different now.
Ayesha stepped towards Lan and took his hand. “Lan,” he said softly in a trembling voice. “Welcome back.” Lan looked up at him with wide eyes and grabbed him in a hug and rested his forehead on his shoulder. Then, after a moment, Ayesha felt dampness on his shoulder from tears. “I have waited,” Lan whispered. “Twenty years . . . I thought it would be long enough to prove myself.” “To prove what?” Ayesha stepped back and touched his cheeks. Lan smiled, “I do not know anymore,” he said. “I am just glad I am finally here.”
June 29, 2025 at 3:54 PM