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
Ryo treads a fine line.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“…A number of yokai have attempted attacks on the girl.” I stop myself from using Rin’s name, remembering Kin’s warning this morning. The more distance, the better. “They’ve all been dispatched. We’ve warded her house and her workplace. She’s under continual surveillance.”
November 30, 2025 at 8:59 AM
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
My first love is and will always be Lord of the Rings, but in an effort to not pick the obvious: The original Dragonlance Chronicles by Weiss and Hickman have a special place in my heart, especially the young reader edition (which is literally the same series divided into 6 books instead of 3).
November 15, 2025 at 3:08 PM
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
erikaarivett.bsky.social
They must be experiencing the fake seasonal changes we have here in Appalachia, where there are about three rounds of fake fall followed by summer saying, “Hi, I’m still here.”

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
Outside, the ocean breeze has kicked up to dispel some of the oppressive heat, but my shirt is still clinging to my back before we reach the bottom of the library stairs. It’s nearly October, but this summer heat just won’t break.
November 12, 2025 at 10:15 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
There is just nothing burger or burger adjacent lol Literally all mentions of food are pretty explicitly East Asian fare except this one time Koji was eating pizza 😂

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“Koji, what are you doing up here dressed like that?” I say, restraining an eye roll. “What?” He looks down at his clothes. “I just got back from the Ningenkai.” “And was food the main reason for your visit?” Kin asks, drumming his fingers on crossed arms. “Hey, the Ningenkai does a few things right,” Koji replies with a shrug. “Pizza is one of them.”
November 11, 2025 at 11:39 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
This was an interesting scene to write, because it’s one of the only scenes of Ryo operating in the Reikai in an ordinary way.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
The smell of smoke and stale sake drifts from the common room, where some of the locals are already deep in their cups. I won’t be able to sleep easy in a place like this. I’d rather try my warding skills against yokai in the wild than risk waking up with a knife to my throat. But this is probably the last civilized stop before the road becomes barren…and then stops being a road. If I want to gather intel about the journey ahead, this is it.
November 10, 2025 at 10:31 AM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
Rin-chan drawn with my finger in a random whiteboard app lol The sixty seconds could have been much more efficient with a pencil 🙈

#Novmemeber #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
November 9, 2025 at 7:11 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
I thought I posted this earlier, but I think I fell asleep in the middle of trying 🤣

Rin always thinks Ryo looks a little older than he is because he’s so serious. Surprise makes him look younger.

#WIPSnips #amwriting #writesky #writingcommunity #YA #fantasy
“What are you talking about, Ryo-san?” Kneeling there in front of me, Ryo-san’s expression is suddenly so open, so surprised, that he looks younger. I could more easily picture this Ryo as a boy in my class, or an applicant at the restaurant.
November 9, 2025 at 12:12 PM
erikaarivett.bsky.social
It’s probably just that I have the Sunday scaries about my maternity leave coming to an end soon (so quickly?!), but I’m feeling existential about time today. There are so many things I want to do—write, read, watch, game, make, go, learn. But there just is never enough time. #amwriting #writesky
“Often we talked of the sad and somehow outrageous fact that in most lives…there isn't time for long walks and sitting on walls. We quoted a poem by W.H. Davies to the effect that it is a poor life if we have no time 'to stop and stare' as sheep and cows can do. We agreed. Nor were we cheered by the prospect of an occasional day off from an office, for with only one day there would be a sense of time at one’s back, a time too limited to 'waste' sitting on walls. How were we to contrive a life full of time—a timeful life—where we could be quiet and leisurely, where we could stop and stare? “…I saw with immense clarity that we had always been harried by time. All our dreams back there in Glenmerle had come true: the schooner Grey Goose under the wind, the far islands of Hawaii in the dark-blue rolling Pacific, the spires of Oxford. But all the fulfillments were somehow, it seemed to me, incomplete, temporary, hurried. We wished to know, to savour, to sink in—into the heart of the experience—to possess it wholly. But there was never enough time; something still eluded us.”—Sheldon Vanauken, A Severe Mercy
November 9, 2025 at 12:59 AM