Erika Arivett
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erikaarivett.bsky.social
Erika Arivett
@erikaarivett.bsky.social
150 followers 140 following 250 posts
Writer. Reader. Illustrator. Classical educator. Appalachian. Wife and mother of two. Goldendoodle mom. Anglican.

📖 Tolkien 🎌 Nihon 🥤Coke Zero

Current project:
Japan-based portal fantasy WIP
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erikaarivett.bsky.social
Erika Arivett @erikaarivett.bsky.social · Jul 18
Working on a literary leaning, Japan-based YA portal fantasy. This is from the prologue...the rest is first person modern POV with a healthy dose of Japanese folklore. #WIPsnips #amwriting #YA
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Poor little naive Rin-chan. She doesn’t know what she’s gotten into yet. This was oddly my only use of dedicate in a story that deals with duty a lot. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Tetsuya-san,” I say slowly, “why are you so concerned about the Kawa Clan? Hiroshi-san sounds…difficult…but Ryo-kun has dedicated his life to this Clan.” I picture Ryo and Taro-kun, both members of the Kawa Clan, swords drawn to protect me in the chaos of the Breach. “Can it really be that bad?”
November 29, 2025 at 10:44 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
I do all of the above nowadays. I have historically been a hard copy reader, but when I started working with my hands a lot during my crafting years I listened to audiobooks, and now that I have small kids I use an e-reader so I can read in the dark while other people sleep. #bookvember
woodenvelt.bsky.social Samantha Breaux @woodenvelt.bsky.social · 1d
Welcome to #Bookvember Day 28!

Follow the directions on the prompt card and discuss your reading habits.

#BookSky #WriteSky #Books #Authors #WritingCommunity
Bookvember, a book share prompt game for writers and readers by @woodenvelt.bsky.social Day 28: How do you do your reading? Paperback, E-reader, audiobook? All of the above? What appeals to you about your favorite format? #Bookvember. Use alt text for images. Have fun and interact with others!
November 28, 2025 at 10:35 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Lots of synonyms for me this week. “Wind” for “zigzag.” I think I posted earlier this week Ryo saying he needed a cell phone. This is later the same day, when some backup would have been helpful 😅

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“See, a sword or a cell phone would be really useful about now,” he mutters. The child rokurokubi flies by in a tangle of dark hair, its long tongue flicking in and out. Reaching around Ryo-kun, I pull one of the small knives from his belt and stand with my back to his. He blinks, but doesn’t object. The three rokurokubi wind toward us, pressing in on all sides. Our knives aren’t strong enough to sever their powerful necks, but I’m silently hoping Ryo-kun has more tricks up his sleeve.
November 28, 2025 at 11:36 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
When Jiro starts waking up to the reality of the spirit world, there is a heavy dose of denial and panic. #WIPsnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
Normally, his ki is sharp and efficient, but level. Today, it flickers like a strong fire blown by a stronger wind. He’s on edge, an anxious something gnawing on his mind. When I finally catch a glimpse of him, my breath snags in surprise. Disheveled, exhausted, dark splotches under his eyes—the face of a man who hasn’t slept in days. Nothing like Rin’s cool, controlled childhood friend who always shoots me dirty looks. Rin was right. Something happened to him.
November 27, 2025 at 10:44 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
I have a WIP I finished a few years ago that is a mess, but I hope to totally rewrite it in the future. Every time I think about that though, I remember that requires reading the mess with years' distance, which sounds...harrowing 😅😂 #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
November 26, 2025 at 6:33 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Ryo realizing that he probably needs to get a cell phone because Rin won’t be able to reach him the “normal” way (meaning she can’t send a paper shikigami messenger to wherever he happens to be lol)
#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“There’s no way for you to reach me if you need me, so I’d better get Kin on it. For the others too.” “How do you normally communicate with each other?” I ask, pressing through toward the register. It’s about to be the last rush of people before the dinner hour. I hold back a sigh, thinking of how crowded House of Ramen will be and hoping I don’t get roped into a shift. But Ryo says the crowds are a good thing for us, because they deter yokai…and other things more dangerous.
November 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
I avoided steamy, melodramatic YA love triangles. My characters’ romance feels slow but inevitable, rooted in mutual trust and emotional attachment over overt physical attraction. I liked how this was done in #FFXVI and shot for that tone in the current draft. #writesky #novmemeber #writingcommuntiy
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 4d
#Novmemeber 25

Anti-tropes: what are some tropes that you've purposefully avoided in your WIP? OR, are there any tropes that you've put a twist on?
25. Anti-tropes (tropes you've purposely avoided or put a twist?) A prompt game for the month of November, titled #Novmemeber (as in meme). Hosted by @sagetgreene.bsky.social . The bottom says "Have fun, interact, and remember alt text!" There is a silly emoji face with wild eyes and tongue sticking out, and some fall-style leaves in the corners.
November 25, 2025 at 11:27 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Ryo under the influence of tsuchigumo venom has lowered inhibitions. Nothing crazy, but he has to concentrate hard to not say things that will mortify him later lol But he still thinks some of them.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“As I suspected.” Tetsuya kneels beside Rin and me, examining the wound. The cut is fine and shallow, but the flesh is irritated. “They must have coated their weapons in tsuchigumo venom.” “Venom?” Rin’s face goes pale. “No need to worry, Rin-san. In normal doses, tsuchigumo venom is meant to subdue, not kill. The venom induces confusion, and he probably has a splitting headache about now, but it should be out of his system in a few hours.”
November 25, 2025 at 9:57 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Finishing this draft by New Year’s would be so doable if I had the capacity to think after 7pm. Debating if I should set a more manageable goal now that I’m back to work, because I get so grumpy if I don’t hit my daily word quota 🫠 BUT I REALLY WANT IT DONE. 😩
#amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
November 24, 2025 at 5:26 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
No debuts around here, so we’re going with “appear.”

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
I sense the wave of ki just as the forest sparks to life around me. Balls of cool blue flame burst into the clearing, whirling around the shrine before resting in front of me. The kitsune-bi dissipates as quickly as it appeared, and in its place a fox curls lazily at the base of its stone counterpart. The kitsune’s red fur flashes for a moment in the moonlight, illuminating seven bushy tails. Not a nine-tailed tenko, a celestial fox, but no spirit to be trifled with either.
November 24, 2025 at 11:10 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
No “global” but about a million uses of “world” 😅

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“The portal you came through is an aberration,” Ryo says. “That night your brother was killed…something cracked in the walls between the worlds.” My food is entirely forgotten now. I lean forward too. “What do you mean…cracked?” I ask cautiously. The earthy air in the small cave, already heavy, suddenly feels stifling.
November 23, 2025 at 11:07 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
I'm having one of those days where I'm out of town and trying get 500 words down, but I ended up just deleting 400 words I wrote yesterday 🫠 (Don't worry, I hang onto them in a separate document) #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
November 22, 2025 at 3:53 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
I did have one use of “crystallizes,” but it felt a bit spoilery, so we’re going with “clear.”

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Wait.” Ryo-san leans forward, fists gripped so tightly his knuckles turn white. For a moment, I’m afraid he’s going to yell at me for insinuating he might have been a murderer. But his eyes are clear, like he’s realizing something. “Your brother? I thought your name sounded familiar. Kuragi. You were on the mundane news.” His voice becomes quiet, and something unspoken seems to pass between him and Taro-san. “Your brother is the boy who was killed at the Breach.”
November 22, 2025 at 9:09 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Who is out there in #writing groups that are actually working? I’ve been in several (with friends and with strangers organized by third parties), but none stick. They’ve moved away, gotten busy, or else don’t write at a viable pace for mutual feedback. #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity
November 21, 2025 at 4:51 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
It’s been an unintentionally Ryo-heavy week for #WIPSnips, so it’s Rin-chan’s turn.

#amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Kuragi, get on the clock. Now.” Tanaka-san releases Jiro and turns to me, face already the color of a boiled lobster. I hesitate, looking between the manager and Jiro, whose anger is startlingly white by comparison. “I…” “Come on, Rin-chan.” Aiko takes my hand and leads me behind the bar toward the back. As we round the corner, I catch one last glimpse of Jiro’s back before he bursts out the front door, departing in the opposite direction from Junichiro.
November 21, 2025 at 9:36 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Ryo isn’t the jealous type.

Maternity leave ends today. Praying I can still finish this draft by the end of the calendar year. 20k words to go—an equivalent amount of which must promptly be cut!!

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Try me.” Tetsuya kneels opposite me on the roof. A pulse of energy radiates from him, sensing the boundaries of the house. I trace the beginnings of a ward along the crest of the roof, but he stops me, adding a few special touches of his own. He was always better than me at this. At everything, really. That’s just the way things are.
November 20, 2025 at 11:04 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Also from Ryo’s first POV chapter.
The previous scene ended with him saying, “Wish me luck.” It did not work out that way. 😅

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
Luck is not with me. The familiar asphalt-and-iron smells of the mundane world have begun to soak into my clothes and skin by the time I reach my third rendezvous point with Taro. I’ve been awake for about thirty-six hours. At least, I think it’s about thirty-six hours. Time is getting a bit fuzzy around the edges by now.
November 19, 2025 at 11:37 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
I realized that without further context, this is slightly confusing. It’s the “[He who is] still here” whose energy Ryo knows, not Yoshimaru’s.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“He’s still here.” Yoshimaru’s voice is a chilly hiss, and I sense his ki receding back down the stairs almost immediately to follow the stranger. I breathe out slowly, every muscle in my tense body loosening. I know that energy—it brings a spike of gratitude edged with resentment, the same feelings that echo through my childhood.
November 18, 2025 at 9:29 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
A #WIPSnips from Ryo’s opening scene.

#amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
I examine his face, but it’s untelling. The evening shadows don’t allow even a glimmer of light to reflect in Yoshimaru’s black eyes. The effect is unsettling, emphasized by the small, triangular tattoos above and below his eyes. I’m unsure of their significance, but I’ve thought more than once it’s a good thing he never spends time in the Ningenkai, the human world. He’d draw far too much attention.
November 17, 2025 at 10:58 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Ryo has a lot of random knowledge because of his training to blend in, whether that’s in the spirit world or the human world. Probably the most surprising thing about him is that he’s quite well read. He reads classics (Japanese and foreign) and knows a lot about history. #Novmemeber #writesky
sagetgreene.bsky.social Sage T. Greene, Author @sagetgreene.bsky.social · 12d
#Novmemeber 17

What subject could your Main Character info-dump about?
17. What subject could your main character info-dump about? A prompt game for the month of November, titled #Novmemeber (as in meme). Hosted by @sagetgreene.bsky.social . The bottom says "Have fun, interact, and remember alt text!" There is a silly emoji face with wild eyes and tongue sticking out, and some fall-style leaves in the corners.
November 17, 2025 at 8:12 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Y’all this Japan-based portal fantasy #WIP still needs a title. I am like 82% done with this draft and I got nothing 😂

#amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
November 16, 2025 at 5:52 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
When I saw this word and thought about searching it in my WIP, I kept thinking about that episode of #DoctorWho when Donna Noble is like, “Seriously, there’s an outrageous amount of running involved.” 😂

#WIPSNips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Get behind me.” Disjointed, staccato clicks work their way up from below—the scrape of claws on metal. A repulsive smell, like dead things and charred flesh, rises on the wind. I draw my katana. Jiro throws his arm over his nose and takes a step back. To his credit, he doesn’t run.
November 16, 2025 at 10:14 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Every time I use the word “Yojimbo,” I think of the annoying summon from Final Fantasy X, and also vaguely think, “I really need to see Akira Kurosawa’s film Yojimbo.” Thanks for hearing my irrelevant thoughts on this matter. 😂

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“The daimyo desires a report on your progress.” His black eyes are flat in the shadows. I can’t read his face at all, but I lower an eyebrow. I’m unsure what he means by “progress.” This is supposed to be a yojimbo and charge relationship. What unspoken thing am I meant to be doing?
November 15, 2025 at 11:33 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Ryo doesn’t laugh a lot. His inhibitions are lowered by tsuchigumo venom at the moment. He’ll be mortified about this later haha

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
I stare at her blankly for a long moment. Then a chuckle rises up in my throat, sliding past my internal filters, and I start laughing—harder than I’ve laughed in weeks. My head pulses with each breath, but I can’t stop. “Ryo-kun?” I force a deep breath and rub the heel of my palm into my eye, dabbing away wetness.
November 14, 2025 at 10:05 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Rin’s ki/energy is both very powerful and very unstable. If Ryo can’t teach her to control it they’re all in trouble.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
Koji falls back against the tree in defeat. “Whatever. I still say it would be easier.” Part of me knows Koji is right. Rin isn’t my first pupil—and she’s certainly more cooperative than the other one—but this is the first time I’ve tried to train someone away from the Reikai. A frustrated huff builds up inside me, but I restrain it.
November 13, 2025 at 10:40 AM