Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊

@5feetofredfury

(Smol) grumpy INFP obsessed with stabby pointy things and martial arts. Part-time writer, full-time daydreamer. Disaster bisexual. (She/they) books2read.com/danceofdemons books2read.com/talismansofsin 📚WIP: Duels of Blood (Poison and Opium, Act III)

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Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· 22d

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Dance of Demons (impressive as a synonym?)

Zhu didn’t have the same sprawl over the land as the Capital, but being the most prominent slave port on Perena meant it was still a city of impressive size and held great economic importance to the Empire. Its narrow, crowded streets did little to lessen Daisuke’s anxieties about entering the city. Though he stuck close to Obito, he felt like so much as blinking would separate them and place him in unspeakable danger. His heart pounded with each discerning glance he caught from others—rationally, he knew those people likely hadn’t seen them, but were looking elsewhere in the same direction as where they walked.

Gods, what he wouldn’t give to listen to that part of himself instead.

“Daisuke,” Obito said in a quiet but firm tone, jolting him out of his head. “Breathe.”

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· 23d

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin (sure, Mika sucks, but there's a sort-of reason) (tw, bi/homophobia)

Mika rubbed his face and leaned against the wall. “Just tired, I think.”

Giichi wordlessly studied him for a moment, then went back to stuffing a vial of blackwater in his satchel before loading it into another bag he intended to take up the mountains with him. Mika knew he shouldn’t have anticipated sympathetic words or anything similar, but his chest still grew heavy when they never came.

“What should I do with the rest of this while you’re gone, Father?” He hoped he didn’t sound as mopey as he felt. While Giichi wouldn’t pry, Mika didn’t know if he could honestly answer that he was heartbroken over another boy if asked; not even his uncle, the Nakamura patriarch, tolerated such things.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· 24d

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Duels of Blood (somehow I've never used unfazed??? So calm as a synonym, and Daisuke being completely unfazed here 😅)

“I was wondering how long you’d be,” Tatakai’s familiar voice rumbled from his other side, though Daisuke wasn’t startled by his presence.

He turned to face the massive dragon-demon, who was gazing expectantly at an overgrown pathway across the pond, a long pipe casually resting between his claws on one hand. His snow white hair danced easily on a wind that didn’t exist, and his golden eyes appeared calm, despite how menacingly they sat against black sclera and were accentuated by black markings beneath on his scaly skin. Light wisps of shadow and colorful, glittering threads of spiritual energy surrounded him.

“Why are you in my dream?” Daisuke asked.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· 28d

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Daisuke is deeply terrified of dogs, but having someone suffer with him makes it...better? 😅 (hurry as a synonym!)

Daisuke slumped against the wall once he caught his breath, groaning loudly as he looked skyward. After a moment of gazing at the stars, he said, “New plan.”

“New plan?!” Junpei’s spine straightened so fast it let out an audible crack; he winced, but otherwise ignored it. “We just cheated death! That hound almost mauled us! What new plan could you possibly have?!”

Fuck! He called my bluff! Daisuke bit his lip, trying to hurry his thoughts into something cohesive, but they kept tumbling into the past.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 14

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin (Obito’s having a great day 😅)

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 12

Day 2 of Michigan Fantasy Festival!

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 11

No snippet (and low interaction for most of) today! I'm peddling some gay goth propaganda 🤭

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 10

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Dance of Demons (Daisuke meets his new favorite place 🤭)

They followed the passage downward to a dank room that faced the courtyard. Cross-hatched, deeply amber-stained windows let in little natural light, substituted by candles blazing from iron chandeliers above long, scarred wooden tables. Master Yujin waited until he was sure all his onmitsu were present, then went to a more cluttered table off to the side and returned with a tray, motioning for everyone to gather around as he set it down. He took several thin, metal tools from where they’d been hidden beside the flower. Curious and desperate for space, Daisuke took the opportunity to escape from under Mika’s arm and push forward, though he hadn’t expected to end up directly beside the Intelligence Master.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 9

I'm afraid it's not super descriptive here (curse me for how much I spread this out *shakes fist*), but it’s a bit more about the feeling than the clothing, anyway 😅 (for context, ObiDai are dressed up in black hanfu, which is the fanciest thing Daisuke’s worn in his life) #SummerOfStories

Obito closed the gap between them and stooped to collect the fallen belt before handing it to Daisuke once more. He paused, then smoothed a crinkled place on the inner robe that must’ve appeared when Daisuke pulled his hair out from where it’d gotten trapped in several places under the different collars. Wordlessly, he took the belt back, knelt, and started wrapping it around Daisuke’s waist.

Daisuke blushed, barely able to tolerate the odd, unnamable feeling in his stomach without squirming, especially when Obito grabbed the second belt to do the same. In a way, it felt scandalous. An uneasy sensation tingled at the base of his skull when he thought of how unsightly this must be—a nobleman’s son, kneeling before a slaveborn, dressing him in formal clothing as if he were the young master of a high-ranking estate. Gods, what an embarrassment to the Nakamuras.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 9

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Duels of Blood (Obito's just trying to be a good boyfriend 💀)

Gifts weren't typically given with the precedent of an occasion, and birthdays were no exception. Still, Obito found himself examining the tiny, colorful glass bottles at this stall for far too long, overthinking whether he should give them to Daisuke today, or at all. While his partner loved almost anything to do with poisonmaking, and these smaller vials would keep better during their travels, perhaps it was a bit too practical.

Why was this so difficult?

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 8

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin

Thick black clouds moved against a gold, purple, and deep blue backdrop, making the twilight skies appear even more menacing than they had earlier. The wind had picked up a bit, and the scent of impending rain clung to the humid air. Occasional lightning flashed in the clouds as they drew closer, but from the looks of it, Daisuke thought he and Obito still had a little time to start their investigation before the storm began; they’d yet to hear a rumble of thunder. He breathed deeply, slowly, then made his way outside, where they decided to meet once they were both ready.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 7

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin (I think sectioning things off works here 🤭)

The rain held off a little longer than expected. Daisuke and Obito managed to cover quite a bit of ground in just a couple of hours. They’d divided the city into sections on a map they’d borrowed from the inn, then went through with a paper talisman raised—in nearly every area, as soon as either Obito or Daisuke lifted the talisman from where they were kept in their belts, several, if not dozens, of blue flames rushed toward the sanctity of the sealing symbol. Once all the souls in the vicinity had gravitated toward them, the paper would burn up in their hands and disintegrate. Whether the souls were all deaths from Tatakai’s sibling or other causes didn’t matter, but giving these spirits a chance to rest did, and a hint of warmth tugged at Daisuke’s heart.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 6

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin (this is about as close as it's gonna get 😅) (CWs for the Giahatio committing multiple human rights violations)

“Is…is that a Northern Nomadic lad in that ring?”

Daisuke’s head jerked in Master Yujin’s direction at the softly-spoken question; had he dared to wander further away, he might’ve been fortunate enough to miss it entirely. As if pulled by the will of the universe rather than his own, he padded toward the two men, dread like an anchor in his gut. He knew what happened to slaveborns who were sold to Kurushima—any brought into this hellish pit almost inevitably became live bait for the bigger and stronger Perenin or Giahatian boys. So far, there wasn’t a single record of one of his own people surviving until the graduation ceremony.

“Sure is,” the hitokiri master replied indifferently. “Boy’s father handed ’im over fer seven silvers—cheap trade fer live bait, I guess, but now we can’t seem to get rid of ’im.”

Daisuke’s chest tightened as he silently went to Master Yujin’s side and leaned over the metal railing for a better look. His heart plummeted into his stomach when he peeked at the two boys standing on opposite sides of the ring marked with wooden stakes below.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 4

I haven't written any epic scenes for book 3 yet, but here's an extra-long bit from Talismans of Sin. It might be epic, but idk. I feel like this series is short on epic scenes so far 😅😅

As if distraught, the dragon demon wailed and began swaying from one side to the other, smashing down the barn’s walls as it did so. The forgotten dagger, half-buried in dirt and hay, suddenly came to life again. It jumped off the ground and was replaced by Tatakai’s regal form, his eyes glowing pure yellow as his snout lifted toward the other demon in the room. Though the second dragon still seemed hazy and unfocused, it made for the ceiling as soon as it sensed Tatakai.

“Jihuang!” the Demon of War bellowed as he slithered through the air at lightning speed. “Don’t you run from me, little sister!”

“No, no, no! Stay away, stay away!” the other dragon cried, breaking through the beams and tiles barely holding the roof together while the two onmitsu ran for

whatever cover they could find. “Leave me alone!”

Tatakai’s body shielded Daisuke and Obito from some of the falling debris as he chased Jihuang higher and higher, swirling into the sky like a beacon of light until he caught up to her. A screech erupted from the other dragon, a horrible, garbled sound Daisuke couldn’t place the emotion behind.

Twin columns of glowing jade green raced downward from the heavens, wildly twisting and dancing around each other as they careened toward the ground. As they neared the earth, Tatakai appeared to coil tightly around Jihuang before the two unexpectedly split apart, as if one demon had viciously thrown the other. Two flat, circular rocks resembling Tatakai’s talisman appeared out of nowhere, waiting to catch each dragon. The shrieking demon hit one stone talisman’s surface, expelling a plume of black shadow seconds before a bright light blinded Obito and Daisuke, and the subsequent shockwave knocked them both off their feet. Daisuke smacked into one of the barn’s walls and braced himself against a gust of violent wind, though he was quickly shielded by something else. A daring peek showed his partner had come to the rescue yet again, using their difference in height to hunch

over him and block both of their heads and faces until everything settled. Once Obito was certain nothing else would happen, he carefully pushed himself away, stifling the pained noise rising in his throat when he put pressure on his arms. Dead silence filled the air once the dragons crashed into their respective talismans, interrupted only by Daisuke’s ragged breathing. He stepped around his partner, toward where Tatakai’s had settled beside Jihuang’s amid scattered dirt, debris, and straw, but a signal from Obito kept him from going further, as if he instinctively knew not to approach. Another flare of green light erupted from the new talisman’s face, and the second black resin bracelet wrapped around Daisuke’s right wrist again.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 2

Daisuke's watching a slave trying to escape the plantations from the room he shares with his family. Obito is sitting by himself in the royal library at night, emotionally avoiding a letter his siblings sent him. Now that I'm thinking, they're both having anxiety moments 😅 #AwesomeCharacters

From the safety of indoors, it wasn’t hard to determine that this escape attempt looked thwarted. The slaves whose labor powered the backbone of the Giahatian Empire frequently fled the enormous plantation imprisoning them; rarely did they make it to the freedom they longingly sought, but no threat of violence or death from those who boldly dared to call themselves “master” was sufficient to prevent some despairing souls from taking the chance.

A flurry of wind hit the warped window glass at the same time as a hissing spray of rain, causing a raven-haired boy to jump back and muffle a yelp under his hands. Terrified at the noise he’d made, his violet eyes nervously darted around the dimly lit room, worried that someone had heard him and would find him awake, watching as events unfolded below. As if they were the unspoken curse of an ancient, vengeful god, autumn storms typically waited until after the annual slave auctions, bringing high winds and torrential downpours. This year, the monsoons raged early in the Noshian Sea to the island’s north. Although inclement weather created hopeless circumstances for those who dared to try escaping, Daisuke understood why that unidentified person chose tonight to run.

Obito’s dark green eyes settled on the gleaming letters written in black ink without absorbing any meaning from the words they formed. It’d been six months since he’d last spoken to his mother, father, or siblings, and while it seemed his brothers and sisters were ready to make amends, he wasn’t sure if he was—or if he could. In the half-year following his enlistment with Giahatian intelligence, he’d managed to emotionally distance himself from an unforgivable incident and find a small sliver of peace; he’d determined that also meant keeping out anyone else who knew about it, which eventually included everyone.

It was safer for his sanity this way.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jul 1

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Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 30

I'm a bi author and I write queer books! The first two in my series are out now and book 3 is underway 🥰😍 🔗 books2read.com/danceofdemons 🔗 books2read.com/talismansofsin

Dance of Demons and Talismans of Sin against a rainbow gradient. Black text at the top reads "happy Pride month!"

Trope chart for Dance of Demons
Disaster duo
Shadow magic
Dragon demons
Sass everywhere
Blood rituals
Multi-POV
Feminine rage
Gay panic
Forced proximity
Morally gray everyone

Trope chart for Talismans of Sin
Mutual pining
Sabotage
Betrayal
Blood bonds
Shadow magic
Queer af
Political intrigue

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 29

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Duels of Blood (and a nightmare)

Tatakai’s gaze went toward the moon, suspended in loneliness above them. It felt like ages before the dragon smiled, then said, “Here it is. Watch, human.”

Daisuke turned to ask the demon what he meant, but the space beside him was suddenly empty. His brows furrowed in confusion, but he wasn’t given time to wonder for long, as he noticed a peculiar color steadily overtaking the skies above. His eyes widened at the sight of a blood-red moon.

A faint trickle from the pond caught his attention before he could recall exactly what the change was meant to symbolize, and his hair stood on end when he saw the pool’s waters were also stained crimson. The fragrance of the camellias faded as they withered and shrank on their shrubs; his heart pounded wildly against his ribs as a breeze rustled the grass on the other side of the pond.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 27

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Dance of Demons (throwback to one of Daisuke’s first poisonmaking lessons 🤭)

The tray held an odd, inky flower, prompting an inquisitive gaze at Master Yujin. Daisuke asked quietly, “What’s wrong with it?”

“This is a black lotus flower,” Master Yujin explained. “They grow along the eastern seaboard and create an incredibly toxic poison. No known antidote exists. Pink lotuses, on the other hand, have several health benefits—their roots and hearts are used in foods and medicines, and you can eat the seeds right from the pod. I don’t recommend confusing the two.”

Daisuke wrinkled his nose at the tiers of greasy-looking petals. “You mean this one’s meant to look that way?”

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 26

repost because I made a dumb mistake 😩 On my way to Boozy Book Fair!

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 25

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin (shrine was the closest I had 😅)

Saigai rolled his eyes and settled on a large boulder near the little shrine, where his talisman lay upon a gleaming, sturdy mahogany altar. He leaned against the roof in a continued demonstration of defiance by refusing to further scale himself down as Kanashimi did. His other siblings would likely make a good show of being in charge whenever they arrived, though he knew it was pointless. That annoying blood-bond meant they could only do so much without direct permission from their summoner—like him, they’d be resigned to this fate. Although this Priestess of Shadows had thus far respected the boundary he’d set months ago when he first awakened here, something would not allow him to trust her as easily as Kanashimi did.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 24

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Dance of Demons (the boys are out on their first "real" mission—and it's close to the book's finale!)

Daisuke hadn’t spoken to Obito much during the first leg of their journey, tired and openly sulking over the fact that his friend had grabbed him by the ankle and dragged him to the floor to get him out of bed. At least he’d gotten the final “word” in by throwing his pillow—the fact that he’d missed was entirely beside the point. After a while, his attitude toward the ordeal had gradually changed to amusement. He still couldn’t believe that Obito took the challenge seriously.

“Dragging me out of bed and forcing me to clean my room,” he groused, unable to help bringing it up again; annoying Obito was, after all, one of his favorite games. “And to think, you insisted right before that you’re never mean to me.”

“You’ll get over it.” Obito had given him the same answer the first two times.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 23

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin (pay for it, penalty, same difference 🤭)

“Encouraging me to talk while we work? Obito, I’m surprised.”

“I wish I could say the same about you deciding to be annoying.”

“Harsh.” Daisuke laughed. “I should make you pay for that one when we get back tonight.”

“Are you going to answer?”

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 22

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Talismans of Sin (Lady Shadow gets a taste of Kanashimi's powers)

However, the woman’s grief was far from expended. As she collapsed to her knees in a terrified, weeping heap, Kanashimi pulled even more from her; a flicker of panic Lady Shadow sensed through their connection told her they hadn’t meant to draw further on her emotions, as if they were unable to stop themselves, like a starving parasite feasting on a bountiful host. The shadows swirled in a mass before the woman, until Kanashimi closed their fist, along with the Priestess’s. Once released, the shadows fanned in all directions and sped like wailing, furious spirits throughout the village, erupting when they collided with anything solid. They destroyed everything in their path; snow melted beneath where they raced.

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 15

Peeking out of my hiatus for this 👀 Now until the end of June! 🏳️‍🌈 🐲 Blood bonds 🐲 Shadow magic 🐲 Gay panic 🐲 Political scheming 🐲 Military fantasy 🐲 Feminine rage 🐲 Dragon demons 🔗 a.co/d/00vjbQMA #QueerBooks #BookSky #ReadSky #FantasyBooks

Purple and green gradient background with rainbow strip through the middle. On top, ebook mockups of Dance of Demons and Talismans of Sin. Below, paperback mockups of the same. Ebooks are marked down from 4.99 to 0.99 and paperbacks are marked down from 15.99 and 16.99 to 7.99 and 9.99

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 13

Gonna be taking an (official) mini hiatus this upcoming week (so, so needed), but I had to share these views of Lake Michigan's north shore first 😍

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 9

#WIPSnips #WriteSky #writingprompt Duels of Blood (hear me out. I picked this one because, to me, it has warm vibes) (and I'm not at my computer to do a proper search 😅)

Daisuke stretched across Obito’s lap. “A slow-acting poison would’ve been smart, too. He’d still make public appearances for a bit, grow visibly more sickly until he could only correspond from the comfort of his bed. Then, one day, he’d just be dead from ‘natural causes’ and that’d be the end of it.”

“From what we were told, Lord Taizo doesn’t have the patience for either of our methods. It’s more likely he killed the magistrate out of anger.”

“There’s the next part of our problem, though—what pushed him that far? Impatience is hardly the same thing as being violent, and nothing the old man said pointed to him being like that.”

“But, he did mention that Lord Taizo hasn’t been himself lately.” Obito absentmindedly pulled his fingers through Daisuke’s inky hair, curling the silky locks around them before letting go. “Maybe this is the lead we were looking for.”

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 8

To everyone who wished me well, gave me the extra nudge to go self-pub, bought a book during my sale, or shared my posts, thank you for all of your support so far ✌🏻💙🥹 (Now that I'm not sick and frazzled, back to my regular nonsense 🤭)

The bi pride flag behind black text that reads "thank yoooou" with blue hearts

Alyssa Lauseng 🖕🏻🧊@5feetofredfury· Jun 7

There's still time to catch Dance of Demons and Talismans of Sin on sale! 🥰🫶🏻 🔗 books2read.com/danceofdemons 🔗 books2read.com/talismansofsin #QueerBooks #BookSky #FantasyBooks #ReadSky