Scarlet Mitchell
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scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
Scarlet Mitchell
@scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
2.8K followers 1.4K following 11K posts
Writer in multiple genres (pen name of Kristine Page), eclectic pagan polytheist, Bowie fan, Aikidoka, cooking and baking, recently took up guitar, she/her
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scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#NovemberThrills

The three hacker ex-girlfriends (plus Talia makes four) get together to party at a lesbian bar.
But Talia has something weighing on her mind…
Novemberthrills day 22 4s a squad! The group moved to a glossy little high-top table with similarly lurid pink stools, to begin the night, which proceeded much as Brace had intended; a few drinks, a lot of laughter, some reminiscing, flirting with random bar patrons, and good-natured heckling of the performers on the dismal little stage. After a couple of hours, once the group had settled down and gone quiet for a few minutes, Talia sighed. “I saw a dead body today,” she confessed. “There was a murder. I just met her this morning, really nice person, and then this afternoon…” She shook her head, trying to work the trauma out. The three women looked at her with varying levels of sympathy. “Damn,” offered Deebs. “That’s heavy. I’m sorry.” Talia shrugged. Brace reached out to pat her hand. It had felt good to say it, even though it brought the mood down. Amy took a gulp of her fourth pint and pursed her lips sadly, then lifted her glass in silent salute to the dead stranger. They all drank the nonverbal toast. There wasn’t anything else to say, so they sat in silent contemplation for a minute or two.
November 22, 2025 at 11:21 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#QueerPrompts

Helena gets a second alone with Kia, talking about their lives…
else. She wondered what life in Hell had been like for Kia. “Did you have a family?” Helena heard how awkward the question sounded on its way out of her mouth. Who doesn’t have a family? Did chimera have families? She winced inwardly. Kia didn’t answer right away and handed the book back. Helena didn’t snatch it this time, trying to pretend it was of little importance to her. Eventually, a small smile came over the woman’s lips. “Yes, I do.” Helena cringed even further, realizing she’d asked the question in past tense.
November 22, 2025 at 2:44 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

Helena finally meets the legendary Lucifer, the charismatic and sparkling king of Hell. Seems a pretty cool dude, actually 🤷‍♀️ Kind of a sweetie, really.
Serasthial stepped aside to indicate her. The man and his smile turned to her eagerly, hands out. Upon seeing her unsmiling face, he toned down his gleam a fraction. “Helena,” he said, almost reverently, the ringleader in his voice dropping off suddenly to an earnest, intimate murmur. His eyes were startling; clear, crystalline irises, twinkling with bright, multicolored light, like faceted diamonds. His magnetism was almost a living thing with a mind of its own. He wanted her to like him, assumed they were friends already. She found herself wanting the same thing. “It is an honor to meet you. I welcome you *redacted*, child.” It felt rude not to take his offered hand, but she was tired and her social acuity had succumbed many hours ago. She hesitated and half-ducked behind *redacted* like a shy toddler. Lucifer took it in a stride, his expressive eyes showing a real understanding and sympathy for her squirrelly state of mind. “You and your companions are all a sight for sore eyes. I am sorry for the trouble you have encountered. Come in and rest for a little while. I am aching to hear about
November 22, 2025 at 2:14 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

Helena is in a photography class, trying to do her assignment last-minute while walking around campus.
Something hovers in her peripheral vision…
pping even closer, she caught it again just out of her center vision hovering near the gold crowns of a pair of birches. A hummingbird? It was well past the season for those, and this was too bright to be a bird. It darted just beyond her vision. She couldn't track it, but a faint flutter told her it was still there. Something about it bothered her in a way she wouldn’t have been able to explain. It gave her goosebumps, the same intense sense of being watched she’d felt before Mateo had collapsed, the same feeling of being hunted. She raised her camera and took two shots in its direction without even checking the viewfinder before breaking into a run towards the art building. ***
November 21, 2025 at 1:01 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
My profile page with the words "multiple genres" highlighted.
November 20, 2025 at 10:05 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember

I dunno 🤷‍♀️

Stuff in my life?
Stuff I see?
Stories I hear?
Feelings I can't escape?
FantasyIndies day 20 where do you find inspiration?
November 20, 2025 at 3:57 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

Helena receives some revelations about the chapel from her crush.
“That’s what I do,” Kiandra continued. “My crew… we are guardians of the rift. We can’t let any of these visitors through. They don’t belong here. Arguably, neither do we. We aren’t really meant to be part of this place. Humans can see us, of course, but usually they don’t remember us any more than they do the demons. I can meet a human one day, even hold a conversation with them, but the next day they don’t remember a word of it, or even that they’ve seen me before. I guess I knew there was something different about you…” There were a few things about this that brought up a confusing assortment of feelings in Helena; first, the thrilling notion that this woman thought she was special, but further, the insinuation that Kiandra herself, did not identify as a human. “Then… What are you?” The question came out of Helena’s mouth before she had a moment to hear what it sounded like. “Warriors.”
November 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
You asked for a page, you got a page! Nearly all of page 38, in which Helena is lurking near the chapel (where else is a goth girl gonna lurk?) just listening to her music, alone.

Something flutters at the corner of her eye. Her hair?
brushed it back, but the flutter remained until she turned. Nothing there but the back end of a limestone unicorn. A tingle ran down the back of her neck and crept along her spine. The diffuse sense of an unseen watcher that often haunted her near the center of campus had returned. Not a soul meandered across the quad to catch her eye, but every hair on her neck and arms stood on end, like the gathering static of an electrical storm. She pulled out her earbuds to listen more carefully. Were there footsteps approaching? She heard no one shushing through the grass or leaves. “Hello?” She mumbled. The memory of the robed figure inside the chapel resurfaced and she turned, peering up at the elaborately carved walls. Parts of it were mottled and darkened by moss where water often lingered longest after rains. Black stains dripped down the carvings like tears or blood oozing from the stone. Not even a crow stirred. The silence was broken by a sudden soft sound, like the swishing of a horse’s tail and a whicker or snide chuckle. An electric shock ran through her and she jumped, frantically pulling her phone out of her pocket and promptly fumbling it. It dropped to the grass
November 20, 2025 at 2:24 AM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#NovemberThrills

"I may be sticks and stone, but I'm full o lights and lasers! They feedin' me good here. It's my mez-taz-bolism... she angry!"
Chef waved a boney wrist as proof and cackled.
#NovemberThrills day 19 one line Wednesday
November 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

Helena just being her usual self; ungovernable.
Passing the bench, Helena sneered at it. There was a curved bar separating it into two seats, making it impossible for anyone to lie down on it. Did the man she'd seen sitting there have anywhere else in the world to lay down besides the ground? She and Tilly had managed to remove several such bars from public benches around Columbus without getting caught. She eyed the security camera on the lamppost with distain. Vandalism wouldn't go over well with her therapist. Inside, the building was relatively quiet for midday, but not dead. There was murmuring from several of the classrooms she passed and a few students roamed the halls at each level until she reached the third floor. She’d found the roof access her first time in the building and finally had the time to take advantage of it. Helena enjoyed rooftops. They were generally quiet, provided excellent views, and when it came to restricted areas, most people were just happy enough to get her off the roof rather than alert authorities. The math building had a very friendly roof. It was
November 19, 2025 at 12:57 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#NovemberThrills

"It's really just an excuse for the village to throw a party; a big potluck, kids games, a silent auction, the blood sacrifice, and then the dancing..."
#NovemberThrills day 18 snippet
November 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember

Agast! Horrifying question!
A FAVORITE? Of mine CHILDRENS?!
😱😤🤬

(No, it's clearly NOT my Mudlarks, Jack and Charlie! If it WAS, I would have written TONS of novels about them instead of relegating them to feverish snippets and constant yapping on Bluesky.😅)
FantasyIndies day 18 favorite characters you've created
November 18, 2025 at 4:21 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
Feel free to jump on 💖

pronouns: she/her

height: 5’8"

shoe: Dr. Martens

zodiac: Cancer sun, (Scorpio rising, Ares moon)

smoke: A tobacco pipe a few times in 2010

tattoos: 3

piercings: ears

fav drinks: Tea, coffee, hot cocoa, Tai Tea, eggnog, Ancient brown sugar bobba, root beer, hard cider
Selfie me me, a white woman, mid-forties, short curly brown hair with a white streak at front. I am smiling hugely with a crown of autumn leaves and heart-shaped sunglasses in front of a lake.
November 18, 2025 at 3:19 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips
I went with “backwards.”

But, like, here’s a thing I worry about. People show curiosity about gargoyles being main characters in my fantasy and I worry readers will be disappointed.

A- Im pedantic about it. They aren’t just muscly imps.
B- They mostly appear in human form.
He once again eyed her pajamas as if struggling not to judge her taste in fashion. Excuse me, but I hadn’t planned on getting caught up in a demonic battle or attending a gargoyle conference, Sir, she thought, giving him a sullen look in return. “Will someone do the honors?” Julian looked out again towards the guardians. He meant someone to guard her? Helena looked around, hoping that Kia would volunteer to keep her company, but when she turned, it was the twins that stood on either side of her. Dismissed, the other guardians slipped wordlessly in different directions. The large blonde woman stepped backwards and the entire bulk of her muscular human form was swallowed by her great stone griffin, as if her flesh had been merely an illusion. Edgar did the same, but gave them a thumbs-up gesture that was the last part of him to be swallowed by cold stone. She looked up to see Kia and Jim both effortlessly clamber up the western face of the chapel and disappear into their respective stone avatars, leaving the night chill and quiet once more
November 18, 2025 at 1:01 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#NovemberThrills

Nora!!!🤣
I wrote her to be the iconic straight-laced secretary type😅

To be fair, her LI, Bayle, is actually relatively straight-laced as well, while on the job (a butler). He's a bit more jolly, but off the clock he lets his hair down.
#NovemberThrills day 17 straightlaced characters
November 17, 2025 at 4:06 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

Helena may be a little antisocial, but she’s not a misanthrope.
The cat sat regally on the edge of the fence that attempted, unsuccessfully, to block the view of the dumpster behind the dining hall. Helena now knew enough to look for him, and saw a pair of ragged trousers draped over the edge of the bin. She worried for a moment, until he stood again, pulling a heavy plastic bag with him. Her heart broke a little that anyone would feel the need to dumpster dive for food. She piled her plate high at the buffet, twice, finding herself much more hungry than usual. Remembering the man with the cat, she decided to spend two more meal tokens to grab a couple of fresh box lunches for him, even if it would mean she'd have less points to get her through the end of the semester. She would manage alright. He and the cat were gone, however, when she came back outside
November 17, 2025 at 1:00 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#QueerWriters

I use “remarkable” reliably, but never “remark” on its own. 🤷‍♀️

Back on my cozy HermitageWIP BS… here Nora talks with her neighbor.
Across the narrow road from her cottage, thirteen-year-old Ham Perez sat in his power chair on the back porch, taking in the sun on a remarkably balmy spring day. She crossed and leaned on the fence. “What music is that?” “Ar… is… Dragons-Beam. You… you like?” His speech was slow and deliberate, working his mouth with some effort to get it right. “No,” she said flatly. “Why… not? “Ok, turn it up,” she demanded. Ham jerked to the side and managed to fiddle with the volume on his speaker. She listened for a moment to the thumping beat. “Nope. Don’t like it. It sounds messy.” “You… never like… stuff.” “I like stuff, I just like it when it makes more sense.” “Like what?” “Like Popanova or the Decker Symphonies.” “That’s boring
November 16, 2025 at 2:59 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

And from chapter one, scene one, the reader sees Helena speak for the first time in the novel…

(She was hiding from a campus tour as it approached cuz she is anti-social and didn’t want to have to have a human interaction, oops.)
Helena scoffed a little, before she could catch herself. When the tour guide paused, she cringed inwardly but stepped out from behind the statue. The students, all looking slightly startled, turned to her expectantly. There was an awkward pause. She was aware of how she looked, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, dressed all in black leather and spiked studs with a sullen expression on her face, but couldn’t conjure up a smile for these strangers. “Actually,” she mumbled, “these aren’t gargoyles.” She wasn’t sure anyone heard her, but the tour guide narrowed his eyes in irritation. She rushed on to explain herself. “Technically, it would have to have water running through it to be a gargoyle. These would be grotesques.” The group stared blankly at her. “That,” she added, pointing up at a figure jutting out from the roofline, its tortured jaws dropped open in a silent howl, “is a gargoyle.” The young man turned back to the group of indifferent freshmen, half rolling his eyes. “Yeah, but like I was saying…” he continued
November 16, 2025 at 2:27 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
I tried to find a description of the exterior of the chapel (a major centerpiece of the fantasy) but I described it in bits and pieces all over the place.

Here is a scene of Helena touring the interior, now offices... a scene one beta said was too long.😞
The architecture is important to the story🤷‍♀️
The renovation had been done in stages, some more carefully than others. Straight lines and plasterboard were juxtaposed against curving arches and soaring buttresses worn smooth by time. Some ceilings and walls cut through or obscured decorative elements embedded in the gray stone of the outer wall, while it seemed other projects had taken great care to preserve the unique character of the interior. Carefully crafted hardwood beams framed cherubic stone faces which peered at passers-by as if through windows. The play of colored light from the stained-glass windows strained against the bland walls of the interior, as if remembering when it could spread out across a wide space. A lap of the second-floor hallway didn’t reveal much of interest so she tried the third floor. Helena knew that few people had ever been meant to see the interior from this high up when it had been originally built, and yet the detail carved into the upper parts of the high window frames showed great craftsmanship. Here, too, she noticed an odd acoustic quality that was hard to parse, at once constrained and vibrating with echos. The disappointing renovations couldn’t quite dampen the scope of the place, at least. She wondered to herself why the architecture department hadn’t commandeered this building to host classes
November 16, 2025 at 3:03 AM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

Oof! Looked all over my books and was uninspired by all my “progress”s that weren’t spoilers.

So here is chapter 2 where we meet the butler’s POV and encounter his first challenge on the page…
“I know. I’ll just have to let it stew for a bit longer. In the meantime, how is progress on the Orangerie?" Bayle mastered his expression to not give away his chagrin. "I haven't done much with it yet, Sir. I've been distracted by the issues with the plumbing." And the electrical issues, and cleaning out every nook and cranny, and making sure the updated life systems were properly functional so they didn't die in their sleep. He hadn't realized the greenhouse should be anywhere near the top of his list. "I was up there on my Sunday walk and it's still in a shocking state. It's a major highlight of the Hermitage. It needs to make a big impression on the summer session guests. Without the library and the Orangerie, we look like little more than an ornate hotel." Bayle wasn't sure he agreed with that. He'd never seen anything like the Hermitage, even when traveling with previous employers, but he nodded, agreeing by force of habit. "Of course, Sir."
November 15, 2025 at 2:03 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#FantasyIndiesNovember

Post your pets!

I kinda did this yesterday, as Oz was in the pic of my writing space as my loyal co-author, but here he is again being more handsome and cuddly...

Oskar "Oz" Elvis Lafayette Page

Aka: Bibby, Buddy, Bibbles, Bud, Bestie
A dim bedroom with blue and brown theme. On the bed, a tuxedo tabby is meowing and curled half over to show his belly in a cute, friendly gesture.
November 14, 2025 at 5:02 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#Novmemeber

Since I took liberties with the rules on the MC challenge, I did only 30sec for this challenge.

Meet the world-eating serpent, the doe-eyed Leviathan:
On a post-it note is a crude pen drawing that looks like a caterpillar sitting on a marble. It's supposed to be a massive snake sitting on a globe, but its head is weirdly bulbous and its face is sad.
November 14, 2025 at 3:09 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
#WIPSnips

The goth girl Helena’s normie roommate is really trying…
“I’m going to the student union to meet up with Jason and Kit, if you wanna come,” Genevieve offered. “They’re doing a film festival for the next couple of weeks; vampires throughout the ages. Tonight’s the classic Dracula double-feature, Bela Lugosi vs Gary Oldman. Have you seen those yet?” Helena wasn’t sure if this was a dig or a genuine gesture of friendship. She wasn’t in the mood to risk it. Spending the evening with people whose opinions of her she couldn’t quite parse didn’t sound relaxing or enjoyable. “Not my thing. Have fun,” she deadpanned without looking at her.
November 14, 2025 at 12:59 PM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
Ach… I havent really written much lately and all my bigger edits are in spoiler territory.

Here, I made a very slight edit to chapter one that I think nudges the tension a hairs-bredth upward, but I think it’s just enough.

Nora learned her house was rejected again.
“The thatching is still the wrong—” “I know about the thatching. I have someone coming in spring. What then?” “Well, then they’d be willing to reconsider your petition.” Nora looked around the pub, trying to gather herself. “What about the Kildares and Breights?” Teralina shrugged sadly. None of her neighbors were safe. Nora nodded, her jaw working. “You sure you don’t need a brandy to warm up?” “No, I’ve got to get home to the kids.” “Ok. Give them my best and thank you for letting me know right away.” “I’m really sorry.” The woman backed through the pub, embarrassed, then disappeared into the darkening cold. It wouldn’t be that hard to switch out the window boxes. She’d booked a thatcher, but her savings had already been eaten up by the other improvements, and she’d be lucky if she would have enough to pay him by the time the weather turned warm. Ms. Granlein seemed to read her mind. “If you’re still looking for a job, I wouldn’t mind having some part-time help. I know it’s not much, but it would be something til you found your feet again.” “You want me to work here?” “Everyone knows you here. You’d be fine.” Nora chanced a side glance at the man who had sent the wine, ignoring Ms. Granlein’s kind white lie. She knew full well that she lacked the kind of sociable nature needed to wait tables
November 14, 2025 at 1:43 AM
scarletvmitchell.bsky.social
I guess we're doing our Bubbles today? I went with "month" but it looks pretty accurate across the board.

Awe! Fam! ❤️
A "Bubble" showing the 50 people I interact with the most.
November 13, 2025 at 3:49 PM