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notonlyicarus.bsky.social
M is queer-ying MG
@notonlyicarus.bsky.social
2.5K followers 1.1K following 530 posts
“hope is not a choice or an emotion […] it’s a necessity” @_binshi_ on 🐦 | 📖 MG/YA/NA | #RevPit ‘25 winner | 🍉 | 🏳️‍🌈 | excitable | https://linktr.ee/notonlyicarus |📍gmt +1
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notonlyicarus.bsky.social
presenting the #agentsguide for my adult queer gothic horror romance wip featuring:

🥀 angel summoning cult
🥀 corruption arc(s)
🥀 extremely unreliable narrator
🥀 it’s all a metaphor for ocd

the problem with angels is, sometimes, they talk back.

✨ready for betas in December 👀
#QuestPit #W #A #H
red wallpaper background, to the right is art by @nelsnote of a man looking up holding a bloody book, the light on him is coming from an angel wing and there are eyes in the dark behind him. he has an awestruck expression. to the left is, in gothic print, adult queer gothic horror romance, underneath that says ready for betas December 31, then under that the title forbidden fruits, with a honey drip underneath. to the left a red and black-themed moodboard: around the top border and right border: someone falling through red-tinged clouds; someone in white embracing a dark shadow with a halo behind them; someone standing at the top of some stairs, surrounded by giant red bulging eyes; a faded black and white photo style picture of a dark smudge shadow and the shape of someone hooking their head over the shadow’s shoulder, crying dark tears; red-toned painting of an angel with three eyes. The left space is occupied by a text image, gothic white on red, that reads ‘the problem with angels is sometimes they talk back’ over and over again. on top of that picture, picture of a painting of an eye with a large gold star growing in it. to the right, pitch written in gothic print. the pitch: why do you need an angel? according to the codex his teacher wrote, that’s the most important question to ask when summoning them. simon knows his answer: there’s someone he worships—the teacher he built a cult around—and he won’t stop until he has him. dark red wallpaper background. top left says comps, underneath are pictures of the covers for THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE by Caitlin Starling and EVOCATION by S.T. Gibson. under that is a cream coloured drawing of a wolf. top right says elements in gothic print. elements: angel summoning as dark magic, corruption arc, epistolary dual timeline, violent longing has consequences, Victorian secret societies, he’s not dead until I say so. to the left is an angel statue. dark red wallpaper background. top left says feedback so far in gothic print. feedback is snippets from discord, saying: 1. THE KIND OF LOVE THE BIBLE TALKS ABOUT might be in the apocrypha BUT STILL. and arguably, arguably, God so loving the world he gave his one and only son IS HONESTLY THE KIND OF OBSESSION WE’RE TALKING ABOUT HERE I GET YOU. 2. I feel like I was completely ignorant of what horniness even is before I met Simon and his whole deal. like, Jesus Christ, that dude. 3. I need to eat the fruits they are too tempting and beautiful. In the centre is a statue of lucifer. on the right is snippet in gothic print. the snippet: “I miss you desperately. I toy with effigies and cannot make myself reshape you in wax or clay. it’s you I want”
November 5, 2025 at 6:14 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
celebrating #questpit with a new #agentguide !!
Summer 1920. 8 children. 1 house. 1 games master. He’s a kid too, but this is his house, and it answers to him alone. Trapped in his games, they’ll have to get creative if they want to survive.
🐊 RevPit 25 winner
🐊 big 5 editor interest
#Q #MG #H
green tree grove in the background. At the top, Green on black, it says KNOWING THE TWINS with an agent’s guide right underneath. lower left black paint swipe with green writing says: Upper MG Horror, multiple POVs, 1920s setting. lower right black paint swipe with green writing says: #RevPit 2025 winner, big 5 editor interest. dark green background, title says THE PITCH. on the left are two green moodboards. the top one has weeping willows reaching water, a hand reaching from a tree trunk, a lake surrounded by trees, hands reaching for each other, a house surrounded by trees and a lake, someone running out of sight in a maze, a lake surrounded by trees, candlesticks on tree branches, and a pier jutting out into water. The bottom one has a hand reaching through tree bark; painting of Icarus as he falls by Gowy; a hand reaching to grasp berries; a lightbulb attracting butterflies; a tree grove; a piano in a greenhouse; Houasse painting of Daphne’s hand growing foliage; painting of crows on a branch; hands reaching through lily pads. on the left, over a white drawing of a crocodile: Summer, 1920. Eight children must play 14-year-old Alistair’s dangerous games, where understanding him may be the only way to outpace him—and escape the summer alive. How do you survive a puppet master when you’re his marionette? light green background, title at the bottom centre says THE COMPS with tree drawings on either side. at the top centre are three pictures of three book covers. THE WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O’Shaughnessy has an arrow saying “internally-driven conflict & revelatory abuse”. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding has an arrow saying “adult-free environment & emergency hierarchy”. NOT QUITE A GHOST by Anne Ursu has an arrow saying “psychological stakes”. dark green background. title in the top centre is THE THEMES. underneath is a list: abandonment, sibling opposites, parentification, reclaiming girlhood, dangers of a saviour complex, wanting to be closer to the monster, how to survive abuse, the ways fear transforms you, puberty a loss of freedom. behind the list is a drawing of a weeping willow. on the right is a drawing of a Manor House. on the left are drawings of an old 1920s phone, some berries and fire.
November 5, 2025 at 5:10 AM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
LORD OF THE FLIESxTHE WRONG WAY HOME
features:

🏚️ a child’s psychological games
🍇 scared girls who fight back
🪞 sibling opposites
🎹 what does a haunting hide?
🐊 summer is an antagonist
🧨 surviving a puppetmaster when you’re his marionette

🌟 Big 5 editor interest
🌟 RevPit ‘25 winner
#DVPit #MG #H
green-themed moodboard featuring weeping willows reaching pond water, a hand reaching from a tree trunk, a lake surrounded by trees, hands reaching for each other, a house surrounded by trees and a lake, someone running out of sight in a maze, a lake surrounded by trees, candlesticks on tree branches, and a pier jutting out into lake water.
October 8, 2025 at 2:56 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
had to join the #DVParty !! here’s a (slightly late) moodboard for my upper #MG horror ft:
🎹 haunted piano playing
☎️ cut phone cords
🐊 crocodiles that shouldn’t be there
green-themed moodboard. From left to right and up to down: a hand reaching through tree bark and foliage; painting of Icarus as he falls by Gowy; a hand reaching to grasp some berries; a lightbulb attracting butterflies; a green-lit tree grove; a piano in a greenhouse below a chandelier; Houasse painting of Daphne’s hand growing foliage; stylised painting of many crows on a colourful branch; hands reaching through lily pads in pond water.
October 7, 2025 at 11:47 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
welcoming my favourite season with a moodboard for my plague doctor x catholic priest horror short story that i’m expanding into a novella ✨🍁 #writingcommunity #amwriting
moodboard, from left to right and top to bottom: detail from Christ in limbo by hieronymus bosch, photo of castle-looking building in edinburgh, triumph of death with the dance of death by giacomo borlone de burchis, plague doctor from the side, a burning candle in the dark, shadow of praying hands with rosary, triumph of death in the palazzo scalfani in naples, stained glass church, detail from triumph of death by pieter bruegel the elder.
September 3, 2025 at 1:50 AM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
introducing my NA queer gothic horrormance wip:

🥀teaching the wrong student dark magic
🥀starting a cult to get attention from your favourite teacher
🥀angel summoning is an OCD metaphor

#PosterPit #W #NA #H #R
dark poster with art by @nelsnote of a man looking up holding a bloody book, the light on him is coming from an angel wing and there are eyes in the dark behind him. he has an awestruck expression. there is a quote at the top right “I need to eat the fruits they are too tempting and beautiful” from my favourite author. the title “forbidden fruits” is in gold cursive. underneath, NA gothic horrormance is written. alongside the drawing, on either side, the words “angel summoning as dark magic”, “corruption arc”, “violent longing has consequences”, “he’s not dead until I say so”, “Victorian secret societies”, “epistolary dual timelines”. underneath, EVOCATION x THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE. underneath the following pitch : ‪“WHY DO YOU NEED AN ANGEL? according to the codex his teacher wrote, that’s the most important question to ask when summoning them. Simon knows his answer: there’s someone he worships—the teacher he built a cult around—and he won’t stop until he has him. ‬ years later, after an accident, Peter’s teacher is graciously caring for him, but Peter wants more than their fledgling friendship. rifling through his teacher’s letters, he discovers another student’s old obsession with the man they both love, and resolves to use this knowledge to get closer to him. He won’t stop until he has him—and the angels come to call.” Underneath, “coming to beta readers this autumn”.
August 16, 2025 at 1:50 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
Summer, 1920. Eight children must play 14-year-old Alistair’s dangerous games, where understanding him may be the only way to outpace him—and escape the summer alive. How do you survive a puppet master when you’re his marionette?

#PosterPit #MG #H #Q
dark green background, outline of a hand from above puppeting the outline of a house on a hill surrounded by trees. on either side of the house are stars with “RevPit 2025 winner” and “Big 5 editor interest” written. under the house, “one summer eight children one puppet master” is written. underneath, in large block letters, KNOWING THE TWINS is written. under that, “Upper MG Horror”, “1920s setting” and “multiple POVs” is written. under that, LORD OF THE FLIES x THE WRONG WAY HOME x NOT QUITE A GHOST is written, against the lighter border at the bottom.
August 16, 2025 at 10:20 AM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
LORD OF THE FLIESxTHE WRONG WAY HOME

🍇scared girls fight back
🪞sibling opposites
🎹what does a haunting hide?
🐊summer is an antagonist
♟️if I save him he might look at me
🧨surviving a puppetmaster when you’re his marionette

✨RevPit ‘25 winner & big 5 editor interest✨
#QuestPit #Q #MG
green-themed moodboard. From left to right and up to down: a hand reaching through tree bark and foliage; painting of Icarus as he falls by Gowy; a hand reaching to grasp some berries; a lightbulb attracting butterflies; a green-lit tree grove; a piano in a greenhouse below a chandelier; Houasse painting of Daphne’s hand growing foliage; stylised painting of many crows on a colourful branch; hands reaching through lily pads in pond water.
August 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
Summer, 1920. Eight children must play 14-year-old Alistair’s dangerous games, where understanding him may be the only way to outpace him—and escape the summer alive.
ft:
🎹 haunted piano playing
☎️ cut phone cords
🐊 crocodiles that shouldn’t be there
#QuestPit #Q #MG #H
Dark green background. On the left, a green-themed moodboard featuring weeping willows reaching pond water, a hand reaching from a tree trunk, a lake surrounded by trees, hands reaching for each other, a house surrounded by trees and a lake, someone running out of sight in a maze, a lake surrounded by trees, candlesticks on tree branches, and a pier jutting out into lake water. Around the moodboard, 4 arrows point to the following: RevPit 2025 winner, big 5 editor interest, 6 POVs, summer is an antagonist. On the right, three pictures of book covers. THE WRONG WAY HOME by Kate O’Shaughnessy has an arrow saying “internally-driven conflict & revelatory abuse”. NOT QUITE A GHOST by Anne Ursu has an arrow saying “psychological stakes”. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding has an arrow saying “adult-free environment & emergency hierarchy”.
August 6, 2025 at 4:36 AM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
this is who i do it all for btw
small pale dark haired child sitting cross legged on a sofa reading a red book titled “mil años de cuentos”, a thousand years of stories in Spanish.
June 18, 2025 at 9:47 AM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
#RevPitClassof25 #RevPit and @kelleyeditorial.bsky.social taught me:

🌀how to plot
🏚️getting the stakes right unlocks everything
🍇how to ground a character-driven story
🐊to let it go to darker places

your faith in this wild, creepy story has been so encouraging! thank you 💚

showcase tomorrow!! 🐊
Blue background with RevPit logo and line drawings of books and sparkles. The winners of RevPit 2025 would like to share a little about our projects and experience. #RevPitClassof25 June 2 - Pitch your book June 3 - Share an aesthetic or playlist June 4 - Introduce your MCs June 5 - Share a snippet June 6 - What you learned from RevPit June 7 - Show us your writing space June 8 - Say thank you to your editor June 9 - Showcase
June 8, 2025 at 6:27 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
#RevPitClassof25 share your writing space (a couple days late)—
this is my beloved colourful desk setup, ft helpful writing pals. yes, my plague doctor friend’s little lamp does glow in the dark 💡
desk overlooking a window. there is a book stand on the right, a plague doctor plush, a bat plush, a little writing drawer stand with a keyboard underneath. on top of the stand is a freewrite traveller, a pigeon plush and a dragon plush, a book stamp and some trinkets. in front of the stand is an open notebook. to the left, an iPad on a stand. left of that, a bunny plush holding a daffodil, a postcard stand, a mole plush, candles and assorted trinkets. the table is white with colourful stickers.
June 8, 2025 at 5:29 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
#RevPitClassof25 4 days till the showcase! today is snippet day: first impressions of the manor house upon arrival 🐊 from my creepy MG 💚
Forest background. Snippet foreground. It reads “it’s very important that you know that nothing at all is wrong with the house.”
June 5, 2025 at 2:15 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
#RevPitClassof25 day 3: introduce your MCs!

when peacekeeper Quentin (14) gets to the manor house, he meets:
🙄 responsible Constance, 15
🎀 glamorous Christelle, 13
🌱 wild Vita, 9
📖 nervous Jacob, 8
🫟 boisterous Hugh, 6
… and their host,
🐊 puppet master Alistair, 14
and his brother
🎹 Alexander, 12
Beige outline drawing on black background. the drawing is of 8 children. there are arrows pointing to each child with their name and age. From left to right: Constance, 15, has her hair up in a bun. She has her arm around Jacob, 8, who’s holding on to her hand. He is being hit by Hugh, 6, who looks dishevelled. Next to Constance, two characters stand back-to-back: Quentin, 14, stroking his chin, and Alistair, 14, arms crossed. Quentin, 14 is green unlike everyone else’s arrow which is white. Next to Alistair, Christelle, 13, is wearing a patterned dress and a flower in her curly hair, and one hand holds on to Alistair next to her. On her other side, Alexander, 12, stands neutrally, wearing a rhombus patterned shirt. On his other side, Vita, 9, runs to the right of the frame, her messy plaits flying out behind her, wearing a polka dot dress.
June 4, 2025 at 3:32 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
#RevPitClassof25 day 2: share an aesthetic or playlist

my creepy MG LORD OF THE FLIES x THE WRONG WAY HOME contains:

🎹 haunted piano playing
☎️ cut phone cords
🍇 suspicious berries
🐊 crocodiles that shouldn’t be there

purely vibes playlist:
open.spotify.com/playlist/362...
green-themed moodboard. From left to right and up to down: a hand reaching through tree bark and foliage; painting of Icarus as he falls by Gowy; a hand reaching to grasp some berries; a lightbulb attracting butterflies; a green-lit tree grove; a piano in a greenhouse below a chandelier; Houasse painting of Daphne’s hand growing foliage; stylised painting of many crows on a colourful branch; hands reaching through lily pads in pond water.
June 3, 2025 at 5:29 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
so excited to share my pitch for my creepy MG Horror as part of #RevPitClassof25 💚

and cannot WAIT to learn more about everyone’s stories— this hashtag has immediately turned into my dream tbr!!

#RevPit showcase coming June 9th 🐊
Green forest background. Darker square in the foreground with white writing: Summer, 1920. Eight children must play 14-year-old Alistair’s dangerous games, where understanding him may be the only way to outpace him—and escape the summer alive. There is a crocodile drawing in the bottom right and a plant drawing in the top left. Blue background with RevPit logo and line drawings of books and sparkles. The winners of RevPit 2025 would like to share a little about our projects and experience. #RevPitClassof25 June 2 - Pitch your book June 3 - Share an aesthetic or playlist June 4 - Introduce your MCs June 5 - Share a snippet June 6 - What you learned from RevPit June 7 - Show us your writing space June 8 - Say thank you to your editor June 9 - Showcase
June 2, 2025 at 6:09 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
LORD OF THE FLIESxTHE ASH HOUSE

1920. the Manor House waits. soon, 8 children will arrive, and the 14-year-old master of the house will begin his games. how do you survive a puppet master when you’re his marionette?

🐊 revising through RevPit ‘25 🐊
#QuestPit #MG #H
green-themed moodboard. From left to right and up to down: a hand reaching through tree bark and foliage; painting of Icarus as he falls by Gowy; a hand reaching to grasp some berries; a lightbulb attracting butterflies; a green-lit tree grove; a piano in a greenhouse below a chandelier; Houasse painting of Daphne’s hand growing foliage; stylised painting of many crows on a colourful branch; hands reaching through lily pads in pond water.
May 7, 2025 at 12:02 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
EVOCATIONxJANE LAWRENCE
why do you need an angel?
according to the codex his teacher wrote, that’s the most important question to ask when summoning them. simon knows his answer: there’s someone he worships—the teacher he built a cult around—and he won’t stop until he has him.
#QuestPit #A #H #wip
red and black-themed moodboard. around the top border and right border: someone falling through red-tinged clouds; someone in white embracing a dark shadow with a halo behind them; someone standing at the top of some stairs, surrounded by giant red bulging eyes; a faded black and white photo style picture of a dark smudge shadow and the shape of someone hooking their head over the shadow’s shoulder, crying dark tears; red-toned painting of an angel with three eyes. The left space is occupied by a text image, gothic white on red, that reads ‘the problem with angels is sometimes they talk back’ over and over again. on top of that picture, picture of a painting of an eye with a large gold star growing in it.
May 7, 2025 at 8:40 AM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
it’s not a birthday without a suitably dramatic photo 🙂‍↕️🎂
photo of me, short dark hair, long flowy flowery lavender dress. I am wearing black boots. I am sitting on a ledge overlooking the sea. My eyes are closed and I am facing the right.
May 2, 2025 at 3:02 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
LORD OF THE FLIESxTHE ASH HOUSE
when 14yo Quentin arrives at the Manor House for the summer, the lack of adults is the only thing wrong—until Alistair takes the lead with his terrifying games. is understanding him the only way to escape?
#PopUpPit #LuckyPit #PopUpPitA #MG #H
Green background pitch card overlaying a pond. title says Knowing the twins. Two photos of book covers, Lord of the Flies and The Ash House. First quote reads “it’s very important that you know that nothing at all is wrong with the house”. Drawing of leaves. Pitch reads: 8 children. 1 summer. 1 house. 1 games master. He’s a child like them, but this is his house, and it answers to him alone. trapped in his games, they’ll have to get creative if they want to survive. 63k MG horror written at the bottom over green background with drawing of crocodile and leaves
March 17, 2025 at 12:27 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
EVOCATION x JANE LAWRENCE
🥀teaching the wrong student dark magic
🥀 starting a cult to get attention from your favourite teacher
🥀 violent longing
🥀 he’s not dead until I say so
🥀 corruption x redemption arc
🥀 what’s in an angel
#QuestPit #A #WIP
red and black-themed moodboard. around the top border and right border: someone falling through red-tinged clouds; someone in white embracing a dark shadow with a halo behind them; someone standing at the top of some stairs, surrounded by giant red bulging eyes; a faded black and white photo style picture of a dark smudge shadow and the shape of someone hooking their head over the shadow’s shoulder, crying dark tears; red-toned painting of an angel with three eyes. The left space is occupied by a text image, gothic white on red, that reads ‘the problem with angels is sometimes they talk back’ over and over again. on top of that picture, picture of a painting of an eye with a large gold star growing in it.
February 12, 2025 at 3:58 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
LORD OF THE FLIES x THE ASH HOUSE

1920. inescapable summer. 7 children. one 14-year-old puppet master. 7 ways to fight back. which would you choose?

#QuestPit #Q #MG
Flowchart game on a sage green background. First level reads “summer has started. the boy at the Manor House needs your help”. Second level has YES or NO options. Third level NO option follows “are you scared”: fourth level has YES and NOT YET: if YES, HIDE IN A BOOK; if NOT YET, SCALPEL. Back to the first question, second level YES option follows to third level DO YOU TRUST HIM. If YES, PLAY IN THE MUD. If NO, option follows: “are you a ghost?”. If YES, HAUNT. if NOT YET, option follows: “can you charm him”. If NO, RUN. If PROBABLY, BERRIES. If “no, but I can understand him”, BEGIN THE DANCE.
February 12, 2025 at 12:45 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
LORD OF THE FLIESxTHE ASH HOUSE

🍇scared girls who fight back
🪞sibling opposites
⌛️mourning girlhood
🎹what does a haunting hide?
🐊summer as a metaphor
♟️if I save him he might look at me
🦷growing teeth
🧨surviving a puppetmaster when you’re his marionette

#QuestPit #Q #MG
green-themed moodboard. From left to right and up to down: a hand reaching through tree bark and foliage; painting of Icarus as he falls by Gowy; a hand reaching to grasp some berries; a lightbulb attracting butterflies; a green-lit tree grove; a piano in a greenhouse below a chandelier; Houasse painting of Daphne’s hand growing foliage; stylised painting of many crows on a colourful branch; hands reaching through lily pads in pond water.
February 12, 2025 at 10:38 AM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
agent’s guide for my LORD OF THE FLIES x THE ASH HOUSE MG horror… agents, welcome to the Manor House. I hope that when you leave, you’re the same person as when you came 🐊
guide by @thevalrobles.bsky.social
#YouDeservepIt #MG #Q
‘An agent’s guide to KNOWING THE TWINS by MPF’ written over a drawing of a green lake and dark mountain ‘The pitch’ is written vertically on the left. The rest of the text is centred in the middle over a dark background with trees lining the bottom. It reads “LORD OF THE FLIES x THE ASH HOUSE. 1920. Impenetrable summer. 8 children. One of them likes to play increasingly dangerous games. They all think they know how to beat him. 14yo Quentin knows the only way for them to survive is to step closer to danger.” ‘What waits for you in the woods’ written on top. On the left, an image of a hand holding a printed version of the book in a Penguin’s classics format. The image is of a clearing in a forest. On the left, the following is written out under a drawing of a branch. ‘Scared girls who fight back, mourning girlhood, siblings who are opposites, everything is a game, abandonment issues, summer as a metaphor, manipulation (that might just go both ways), ghost stories that come true, hero complex dismantled Reach out is written at the top. The background drawing is dark, with a creepy Manor House in the centre and trees lining the bottom. In the centre, it says @notonlyicarus on twitter.
January 24, 2025 at 6:59 PM
notonlyicarus.bsky.social
It’s 1840, and Lu doesn’t have time for gothic horror. Managing a hotel at 14 is hard enough without flights of fancy taking over! That’s all his suspicions are: fancies. The blond boy in his basement is far too sweet to be digging up corpses— much less reanimating them.

#YouDeservepIt #MG #WIP
moodboard with warm and cool tones. 9 equal sized squares. from left to right and top to bottom: a copper microscope; old medical tools in a pouch; silhouette of a Victorian man walking through warm-toned streets; a hand drawing an anatomical study; stairs viewed from above; a quote from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein that reads “it is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another”; a painting of foggy Victorian London that shows the Houses of Parliament; a man in a black suit giving a medical lecture next to a full size skeleton; some open notebooks and textbooks with dark vials and glasses and a briefcase on a wooden desk.
January 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM