Writing – Janeil Harricharan

February 26, 2024

Heather in Wharftown

When the pandemic started, I had started to do a project where my Heather universe would be involved in crossovers. These were mostly for fun, and to let people experience my world in a way. Generally, it was someone else’s character getting teleported in to explore about.

Up to date, I still have three of them to finish, mostly due to some illnesses and a lack of actual writing. But after recently revisiting the deviantART community, I came across a curious piece from a user that goes by CapnDeek373. We’ve ran into each other before via comment exchanges, and this was why I had ended up at his creation. A joke was laid out about Heather mucking about his setting, and that led up to this tale.

This one is unique as it involves Heather visiting another setting, which is not the usual direction I take these tales. The setting’s appropriate for her to check out, and lines up with a lot of the story beats I typically try to have her involved in (typically something horror and exploration related). CapnDeek’s pieces line up with a surreal, mysterious and eldritch vibe; that just adds to that appeal even more.

Be sure to check out his deviantART, where he does do frequent updates on his world. Do pay homage at the piece that made this crossover tale spawn into being as well, which is aptly titled shot room #1.

Without further adieu, here’s said tale. Enjoy!

Ellowwood Town Center, Cotley’s
Approximately 3PM
YTD 334, 26th day of the 4th month

“I thought Mom said you were going to go on an adventure,” Janus complained.

Heather exhaled in a huff, unhooking her thumbs in her suspenders.

“I told her I was going to meet Caroline at Cotley’s. Maybe she thinks it’s an adventure for you.”

October 7, 2021

Reddit WritingPrompts – Write a POV from a Recently Hired Scientist

For awhile now, I’ve been playing with various sci-fi scenarios in my head. When I saw this post, I decided to give a stab at an alternate universe I had parsed in my head. I’ve used this same setting in a few other prompts I’ve written, usually revolving around a freelance mercenary group with their own troop carrier.

Done in September 4, 2020.

Note: My writing for Reddit writing prompts is different for brevity. While this is a good example of my writing, I often omit backstory and several details to create a concise post. Please look at my other works if you’re looking for my more regular style of writing.

Original Post

OP

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Victoria Tellison, Armadillo Head Scientist

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I’ve always wondered why mercenaries with a troop carrier wanted to hire me. Why did they need a scientist like me? Didn’t their tech wizard bug queen know things? Or just look it up on the extranet?

Looks like that was changing.

The last two months Armadillo had been visiting a terraformed planet on the Outer Rim. Some radical space pope went back in time centuries ago, stole people from Earth from the 1800s and set them up to live there. Why? Aside from her own enjoyment, nobody knows.

October 1, 2021

Reddit WritingPrompts – Can You Fly a JX-7?

The title of this prompt struck me a few ways, and decided to add a bit of intrigue and other stuff to it. It originally was meant to have more than one part, which I unfortunately was never able to finish. I’ll need to do that someday.

Done in October 16, 2019.

Note: My writing for Reddit writing prompts is different for brevity. While this is a good example of my writing, I often omit backstory and several details to create a concise post. Please look at my other works if you’re looking for my more regular style of writing.

Huschens is an Easter Egg nod-off to Angry Cops.

Original Post

OP

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I wrinkled my eyebrows at the person who interrupted me, clearly not enjoying be pulled away from my drink. It was Gunnery Sergeant Huschens; clean chiseled face, camo fatigues and a drill instructor hat. At first his voice sounded official and very commanding, but upon hearing me answer affirmatively, changed to that that half New Jersey accent, ushering me with an informal hand wave.

I sigh heavily, grabbing my cup of coffee and making my way across the hangar.

August 18, 2021

Reddit WritingPrompts: Humanity Became “Quite”

Not going to lie, I often enjoy hopping in on certain writing prompts, and while I know the OP wanted one thing, go along with in a completely different direction. In this case, humanity gets a message to “be quite” instead of “be quiet.”

Very short, but very rofl.

Done on October 8, 2020.

Note: My writing for Reddit writing prompts is different for brevity. While this is a good example of my writing, I often omit backstory and several details to create a concise post. Please look at my other works if you’re looking for my more regular style of writing.

Original Post

OP

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And it was easy for humanity to be quite. You see, they were quite accurate in their starship development, sciences…even simple things such as placing a shopping mall on Mars.

They remained quite accurate, quite scientific, quite humorous, quite determined. The quite never stopped.

When they finally reached those that had responded to them, those aliens facepalmed. How they wished their scientist learned how to spell. Humanity was supposed to stay quiet, not stay quite. Now they were doomed.

But there was nothing to worry about. Because humanity had been quite for centuries, it was time for them to be quite again. Quite defensive, quite victorious, quite imposing.

And it worked!

Now as humanity spreads across the galaxy centuries later, the legend is passed down. They are the race that took the warning of “be quite”.

July 28, 2021

Outbound Message: 6021.07.28.01.34

Recipient: [REDACTED]

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Hey there, it’s me. I hope you’re well.

To make a long story short, my device suffered catastrophic hardware failure. GPS chip is fried and the main transmitter won’t lock on to transmit data. I had to use another in the meantime.

Unfortunately, while swapping to a new device during a backup, I lost your chat log. Including your number ID. The temporary device I was using did not save nor port over any information whatsoever. When I tried to get in touch with you where we originally met, I found that you deactivated your presence there.

I am now in the conundrum that I cannot contact you in any way whatsoever, no matter how much I want to. And believe me, I do; I’d love nothing more than that.

This is on top of you actually having the last word, asking me a question. A question that I said I’d put off till morning and answer you in good detail, once I got my device working to where I wanted it to.

I’m fully aware it does look like I left you hanging and have not answered your inquiry. And for that, I sincerely apologize. That wasn’t my intention, never was. I’d love to answer your question, and continue talking to you.

That said, you can reach out to me. You still have my information that I’ve given to you, and have artwork I shared with you with addresses to this website and other places (a by-product of watermarking my work). Long story short, you have every tool to reach out to me. This is up here in case you do end up here, following those leads to your curiosity.

This wasn’t on purpose. Life has been unfair to me in a few ways, and this is a byproduct of this. I wouldn’t have this for you to find if I wanted to vanish.

Just like comm arrays point out to the cosmos, I’m here, and listening. I wish you the best either way.

–

TRANSMISSION END

March 31, 2021

Reddit WritingPrompts – So That’s It?

So this was a short reply I did last year. Not too much to say about this, but it was great to go out of my zone to a sci-fi root. I do miss writing sci-fi with spacecraft ops.

Done in September 4, 2020.

Note: My writing for Reddit writing prompts is different for brevity. While this is a good example of my writing, I often omit backstory and several details to create a concise post. Please look at my other works if you’re looking for my more regular style of writing.

Original Post

OP

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Well, the Prowler’s EMP shield held.

“Well, unless you’re some cosmic entity, you usually die when a nuclear weapon gets detonated in your face.”

The blast was fading as the starlight started to twinkle again. I could see my attack carrier’s light blinking starboard, dipping my nose towards it.

“The possibility of less…annihilation was possible to defeat him. But it was necessary to make sure his life was extinguished.”

“Yeah, tell me about it, Armadillo. Can I get my ass back on the deck, or do you need me to get milk while I’m out here?”

February 13, 2021

Fall of Plaguestone – Cuff’s Adventure

A few months ago, I had briefly run a text-based RPG for an online peep, which was mostly for December and some of January. While it ended later that month due to my own commitments, I figured I’d share at least what happened for your entertainment reading, as I’m not putting out as much writing as I should. It is a good 9,000 word tale, and covers through most of the first act of The Fall of Plaguestone, a Pathfinder 2e module.

This tale utilizes a conglomerate of all my Pathfinder PC’s to date, and was presented to the player as a sort of “lovable sidekick group” dynamic of an all-girl cast.

Left to right:

Liandra the fighter
Pri the bard/rogue
Marios the cleric/party leader
Yorina the cleric/alchemist/engineer
Sophie the divine sorcerer
Lillith the paladin
Keisha the primal sorcerer
Nora the NPC/sidekick.

The player’s character would’ve been featured, but he had no reference artwork, and wasn’t given too much to make official art of him (especially since this didn’t last too long). Fortunately, I had my DnD buddy Karomaz do this up based on his description. So you have some reference at least!

Lastly disclaimer: This player’s responses were edited for grammar and some clarity, due to their different writing style. As it’s a more informal reading out of an RP chat, I’ve edited his responses to at least be whole sentences and have commas, periods, etc. My responses have also been fixed with some tenses, as most were hybrid from talking to the peep in the moment.

Player’s responses are orange. This is written in a second-person point of view, addressing him with the details and story.

Sound good? Alrighty, let’s go!

–

(This first intro bit is the intro text of the module; it’s been provided for story clarity)

It has been three days since you left Elidir, climbing into the back of one of Bort Bargith’s wagons bound for the faraway Andoran capital of Almas. The smiling caravan master cut your travel cost to only a handful of coppers, so long as you promised to protect the wagons should any trouble arise. Fortunately, your journey through the hinterlands of Isger has been quiet, even if the ride itself has been far from comfortable.

January 12, 2021

Reddit WritingPrompts – Landing at the Sky Temple Ruins

While I was on my writing streak last summer, this was one prompt I had written a response to. I find that I like to “go against” the grain of most of the responses, if that’s a thing. A lot of people on this thread were “whoops, I got left here” or “I was serving a prison sentence here”. The architecture reminded me a lot of South Asian, so I tried to put that into a spin of someone visiting. A bit brief and rough, but I liked it.

Done in July 24, 2020.

Note: My writing for Reddit writing prompts is different for brevity. While this is a good example of my writing, I often omit backstory and several details to create a concise post. Please look at my other works if you’re looking for my more regular style of writing.

Original Post

Original Image (in case hosting or post goes down)

OP

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“How far are we out?”

“Not too far, we will be onsite in a minute.”

Va’shoo unsteadily fingered her pulse rifle. Their lance had been sent to bodyguard the Monarch’s “Paladin” on a personal matter. She had sent her and several of her sisters with this task. The young man differed from both their kind and hers; the olive skin and dark hair. He had been recovered in deep space two years ago, and his origins were unknown.

October 29, 2020

Reddit WritingPrompts – Prompt Me Response – Dunkin’ Cleric

In the rare instance, one of my prompts actually got responded in a Prompt Me post. In this scenario, I told them to write about my two clerics, and to play around with their accents. I didn’t specify which, and they ended up swapping it on the characters. They did a pretty snazzy job, I think!

Done on September 4, 2020.

This piece of writing is not my own, and belongs to the original poster.

OP is now deleted, but you can still access their original post.

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I’m not sure anyone knows how much your ass starts to hurt after riding a horse for five hours straight. To say I was lost was a massive understatement. At this rate, the village is as good as ashes right now. I had to get off and try and figure out where in the wide world I was.

October 27, 2020

Reddit WritingPrompts – Here’s Your New Life Partner

When I saw this WritingPrompt for being stuck with a life partner, I happily gave it a stab using my space pope archetype. Everyone was also “Umm, don’t know what to say”. Definitely had to change that trend.

It was a bit rushed, so my version here is a little fleshed out.

Done September 24, 2020.

Note: My writing for Reddit writing prompts is different for brevity. While this is a good example of my writing, I often omit backstory and several details to create a concise post. Please look at my other works if you’re looking for my more regular style of writing.

Original Post

OP

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I slowly blinked to existence. I saw a bunch of agitated couples about me, a female genie laughing her behind off. As I tried to waft the smell of smoke off of me, she noticed and glanced at a figure in front of me.

“And here’s your new life partner.”

The genie poofed into nothingness before I could say another. I was stunned for a brief minute, assessing my surroundings.

Aside from dozens of various freaking out couples, it reminded me of a fantasy version of those cityscapes I’d see on deviantART. I started to wonder about how I was going to get back to my old life, and what was my immediate future plans. However that didn’t stop me from regarding the person I had been ‘stuck’ with.