Caffeine Is My Ringer's Solution

I try to maintain a dark academia aesthetic but it inevitably turns to chaos.

[cactus-writes-things]

I'm Cactus; my pronouns are She/They and this is where I post my writing! I usually post original work, but there are some exceptions. I tag with #cactus-writes for all original posts and #reblog for all reblogs

I’m currently working on a series of posts about British Colonialism in India

Do you find yourself lacking motivation?

Feedback and constructive criticism are always appreciated!

This is a sideblog, I follow from @cactus-extraordinaire

[cactus-writes-things]

The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre - We're Still Waiting For An Apology.

INTRODUCTION - 

Today, April 13th, 2022, is the 103rd anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919.

This massacre sparked the nationwide rise of the Indian independence movement, and played a pivotal role in India’s fight for freedom.

However, what people seldom focus on is the loss India sustained, or the consequences of a deeply tragic event in Indian history.

WHAT HAPPENED?

On April 13, 1919, a large, but peaceful crowd congregated at the Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, Punjab as a protest for the arrest of two prominent freedom fighters, Dr. Satya Pal and Dr. Saiffudin Kitchlu 

The Jallianwala Bagh has an exit through only one side, and the other three were surrounded by walls; Brigadier-General Dyer surrounded the Bagh with his soldiers and blocked the exit. 

After this, he ordered his troops to shoot, continuing the assault even as the protestors tried to flee

The troops fired until they were out of ammunition. There were a minimum of 380 deaths, over 1,200 people injured, with an approximate 200 of those people with serious injuries.

THE CONSEQUENCES [THEN]

Many disagree on the amount of casualties - The British estimate that 380 people died and 1,100 were injured, while the Indian estimates state that 1,000 people died and more than 1,500 were injured.

One could argue both sides here, that the British would want to downplay the incident, or that the Indians would be keen on exaggerating the true extent of the horrific event in order to gain sway.

However, it is worth considering that the British were in a position to smooth anything over to their liking, and would not benefit much, if at all from lying about the total casualties; in fact, Dyer stated that had he not run out of bullets, he would have shot many more Indians down. 

Either way, regardless of which estimate was closer to the truth, the incident was a horrendous miscarriage of justice [though perhaps justice is too much to hope for from the British Raj].

Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood, declaring that “such mass murderers aren’t worthy of giving any title to anyone”

THE BRITISH RESPONSE

An eight-member inquiry committee was initiated by Edwin Montagu, Secretary of State for the British India government at that time. 

Committee members who disagreed with the majority’s finding issued their own report, which showed that Dyer, the officer, had made up his mind to shoot all the people to death if they were going to continue with their protest.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Army requested that Dyer resign from the post of Brigade Commander and did not give him any further employment in India. Dyer did not face any consequences beyond this. 

In his homeland, he was lauded, but for Indians, Dyer became a symbol of British oppression. 

In 1939, Udham Singh assassinated Michael O’ Dwyer, who was the lieutenant governor of Punjab then and endorsed Dyer’s actions to fire at unarmed civilians at Jallianwala Bagh, and a statue of Udham Singh was unveiled [rather recently] outside the memorial.

THE CONSEQUENCES [NOW]

Balraj Purewal, coordinator of Punjabis of Southall, stated that “Every institution in the UK – the monarch and the parliament – was responsible for the massacre. It wasn’t the handiwork of a lone ranger, Dyer, but the British India’s mindset that no agitation that posed a threat to them will be tolerated.”

Not more than a few years back, under Modi’s administration, the site of the massacre was ‘renovated’, which entailed replacing the original monument’s entrance, with its walls bearing bullet marks, with embossed sculptures depicting the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

Though the reactions to this have been mixed, many feel that this change has significantly degraded the value of the monument by compromising its authenticity. 

THE “APOLOGY” AND WHY IT STILL MATTERS 

Britain has not, to date, apologized for the massacre, but expressed “regret” in 2019.

The British government failed to use the opportunity of a parliamentary debate on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre to apologize for the atrocity, with a Foreign Office Minister citing the “financial implications” as one of the reasons why an apology should not be considered.

In what way is it fair that thousands of Indians gathered peacefully were killed or severely injured for being guilty of nothing, but the man who killed them walked free? 

This massacre is a flagrant reminder of British oppression and violence in India, and the fact that they have belligerently refused to hold themselves accountable for the actions of their officers and governing body is ineffable evidence that Britain is yet to grow out of its appallingly oppressive nature. 

Go ahead, Britain. Apologize. We’ve certainly waited long enough.

SOURCES AND RECOMMENDED READING - 

An Era of Darkness - Shashi Tharoor

Enathu India - S. Ramakrishnan 

<https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3161416/what-happened-1919-jallianwala-bagh-massacre-sikhs-british>

<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jallianwala_Bagh_massacre>

<https://www.britannica.com/event/Jallianwala-Bagh-Massacre>

<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/13/world/asia/jallianwala-bagh-massacre-india-britain.html

<https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/no-apology-for-jallianwala-bagh-for-now-says-uk/article26785284.ece>

[cactus-writes-things]

People as jackets I’ve owned

A trench coat that’s still too big for me

Late nights when the city lights illuminate your bedroom wall, the crackling of melting ice in a glass of cold brew coffee, the comforting weight of a watch on your wrist, the quiet whirring of an air conditioner calming the static in your brain, and taking comfort in knowing you’ll change over time

A mustard yellow double breasted blazer

Vintage paintings of painfully modern scenes, a macchiato with two pumps of hazelnut syrup, feeling old and young at the same time, getting lost in an IKEA for no reason, the swoop in your stomach when you miss a step on the staircase, barely muffled laughter from the back of the library, stroopwafels, and the gust of perfumed air whenever a bakery’s door swings open

An olive green utility jacket I’ve had since middle school

The rhythmic tapping of fingertips on a desk, sharp winds that make you squint as you walk, the familiar weight of glasses on the bridge of your nose, the quiet scratching of a pencil on paper, empty playgrounds, carrying a stack of books so tall you can barely see over it, the sharp scent of sharpies, and running to catch up to someone so you can walk together

A rain jacket that I’ve never worn in the rain

Outdated textbooks, the sound of doors closing, backlogging your dreams until they crush you in one fell swoop, a forgotten beverage growing cold, shirtsleeves folded up over a sweater, the rhythmic clacking of a keyboard, empty highways, the sharp scent of peppermint extract, out of tune pianos, and fog rolling in over a loud city

A dark blue down jacket with a bright green lining I outgrew in 7th grade

Slightly too bitter iced tea, the chatter of tourists at an attraction locals are jaded to, the clattering of utensils in a kitchen drawer, copper that’s starting to turn verdigris, the crunch of snow under old but comfortable boots, dark chocolate and salted caramel, faded posters, the background chatter in a restaurant, solitude

[cactus-writes-things]

British Colonialism and Language in an independent India

INTRODUCTION -

India has been ruled by the Guptas, the Moguls, and many other forces for centuries throughout its history, and yet, none of these rulers insisted that their languages be the norm. When Urdu and Arabic became the languages of the rulers, Sanskrit was still being used commonly, as well as in educational institutions. 

However, when the British came to India and stayed for 300 years, we began to forget our own languages in favor of gaining English fluency.

Keep reading

[dragonsblowingoutbirthdaycandles]

mother // 16.01.2022

[patientno7]

the suffering never ends

[sinksanksockie2]

This is the real process

[thewritingbeast-blog]

Resources for you!

Character Ideas:

Character creation masterpost

Character Alignment Chart

More character alignment descriptions

Muslim Character questions

Characters with magical powers

Building a new character advice

How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)

Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page

Basic character profile

OC masterpost

Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)

D&D Character Building Tool

Character Design Ideas:

How clothing affects a character’s personality

Character Design Inspiration blog

Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by

Character design references and inspiration

Sources for POC character design ideas and models

Create your own character model using HeroForge

For horned characters

Body and hair types guide

Random outfit generator

Naming Help:

Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources

General advice on avoiding naming appropriation

Hispanic Surnames

Gothic Victorian names

Huge master list for character things in general

Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more

Another name masterlist

How to pick a character name guide

Yet another names masterlist

Creating Background/backstory:

Character Sheet/Development Sheet

Another character development list

In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet

320 talents and passions for characters

On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous

Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary

Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes

Random backstory generator

Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid

Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:

Comparing character height/height references

Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science

Describing what different voices sound like

Describing skin tones

Writing friendship interactions that are platonic

Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea

Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing

Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)

How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters

How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero

On platonic OC and canon character relationships

How to avoid Godmodding in RPs

When it’s cheap to kill off a character

Writing dialogue

Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters

Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs

Slang resources

Dialogue tips

Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships

Bonus art masterlist!

[brucewayneright]

BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.

[samspectrum]

Will use. Maybe.. Someday…

[paaxindigenous]

Witches’ Brew: The Meanings Behind The Most (In)Famous Potion Ingredients

Double, double, toil and trouble! Witches cackle as their cauldrons bubble. Spiders creep. Black cats howl. Ghosts and spirits are on the prowl. All sorts of nasty things go in the witches’ brew. But the most important ingredient of all just might be… you!

Spooky! This classic scene of malevolent madams making a most mysterious mixture entered our cultural imagination thanks to William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. One scene in the play features three wily women, referred to as the the three weird sisters or the three witches in the play, chanting an ominous rhyme as they add gross and grizzly ingredients into a cauldron. The witches’ admittedly catchy rhyme is listed below (the ingredients have been bolded by us):

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,

Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Some of these ingredients, such as “eye of newt” and “toe of frog,” have become staples of witches everywhere. But what are those ingredients really referring to? The answers may just surprise you! (For the entire passage, which includes all of the ingredients we discuss, see below.)

Ingredients and their meanings

eye of newt

Let’s start with one of the most popular (and memorable) items on the list. Surprisingly, most people agree that “eye of newt” refers to a mustard seed. Herbalists would often reference body parts when describing parts of plants. An “eye” is a seed, and mustard seeds are dark yellow, like the eyes of some newts.

fillet of a fenny snake

However, “fillet of a fenny snake” is the first item on the list—and source of much debate. It’s possible that this ingredient could be referring to a member of the Arum family, which includes plants with  nicknames like jack-in-the-pulpit and Snake’s Meat, which would fit with the idea of a fillet. Some other speculated identities of this ingredient include a leech (fenny means “marshy” or “swampy,” and leeches are snakelike swamp-dwellers) or snakeroot, based on the name.

toe of frog

Most agree this warty foot refers to the bulbous buttercup. This yellow flower resembles most other buttercups but it has a fat, green, bulbous stem. The froggy connection doesn’t seem like too big of a leap (or a hop).

wool of bat

The two most commonly speculated identities of this ingredient are moss and holly leaves. Moss is a general name for clumpy plants that grow on and cover trees and rocks (like wool). Mosses, like bats, also tend to be found in dark, sunless areas. Holly trees and shrubs can be found all over the world and have wing-like leaves on which red berries grow. Holly leaves and berries are often seen during Christmastime.

tongue of dog

This ingredient refers to houndstongue, a highly toxic plant that features long, hairy stalks that can grow up to four feet tall. Clumps of purplish flowers can be found at the ends of the stems.

Adder’s fork

This snaky ingredient refers to the dogtooth violet, which isn’t technically a violet. Erythronium americanum, commonly called the trout lily, is a small plant with delicate purple or yellow flowers that is beloved by honeybees and other pollinators.

blind-worm’s sting

This ingredient is a source of speculation. It may be a poppy seed, knotwood, or wormwood. Poppies are sometimes referred to as “blind eyes,” and all poppies are poisonous, which would explain the “sting.” Knotwoods are bamboo-like weeds with small flowers that often invade other plants’ territory. Wormwood is a plant with white or green stems and bulbous yellow flowers. Besides having a name that fits, wormwood has been used in traditional medicines for a long time. There’s also another distinct possibility: a blindworm is a legless lizard with tiny eyes.

lizard’s leg

This ingredient is thought to refer to ivy. Ivy is a general name for plants that grow up walls or trees as long green vines, often with many leaves, flowers, and berries.

owlet’s wing

The identity of this ingredient is less clear. It’s possible that it could refer to either garlic or ginger plants. Garlic is an herb related to onions that features a long stalk growing out of a white bulb located underground. Ginger is a plant with a long reedy stem and a banded, tasty root underground. Both of these smelly plants are often used in cooking.

scale of dragon

This draconic ingredient could refer to Alacosia Baginda, commonly known as the dragon scale plant. True to its name, the leaves of this plant resemble large green dragon scales. Another possible plant that fits the bill is tarragon, a leafy green herb found worldwide that is often referred to as “dragon” or is known by many dragon-themed nicknames.

tooth of wolf

This ingredient is speculated to be either wolfsbane or club moss. Wolfsbane, actually named Aconitum napellus, is a plant native to Europe that has distinct purple flowers. Its nickname comes from the fact that it is highly poisonous, and it was often used to kill feared predators, such as wolves. Club moss, also called wolf’s foot or wolf’s claw, are herbs that have many spiny leaves.

witches’ mummy

This ingredient is often assumed to be literally what it says: the parts or entire body of a mummy belonging to the witches. People used to ingest mummy powders (yes, human remains) as a medicine during the 1600s, when Macbeth was written. Spooky!

maw and gulf of the ravin’d salt-sea shark

As far as we know, there is no plant that seems to match this ingredient. It’s possible that Shakespeare made up this plant nickname or it could be referring literally to the body parts of a shark. While not all sharks are predators, many of them are known for their teeth and fierce bite. It would make sense for this spooky mixture to include the terrifying teeth and throat of a shark—especially one that is “ravin’d” or ravenous.

root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark

Hemlock is an infamously poisonous plant that has clumps of white flowers growing on spotted stems. Famously, hemlock is supposedly the plant that killed the philosopher Socrates. This concoction just keeps getting worse and worse.

liver of blaspheming Jew, nose of Turk, Tartar’s lips

Suddenly, things take a strange(r) turn. As far as we know, these three ingredients don’t refer to any plants or animals. As taken literally, these three ingredients are body parts of people who (for the most part) were not Christians. Jews practice Judaism. The “Turks,” here referring to the people of the Ottoman Empire, were followers of Islam. The term Tartars was used to refer to the peoples of the Eurasian steppe, who mostly followed Islam although some practiced Orthodox Christianity.

During Shakespeare’s time, religious tension was the norm even among Christians. Shakespeare himself was publicly a follower of the Church of England, but he came from a Roman Catholic family. During Shakespeare’s time, there was constant mistrust and violence even between different Christian denominations. Needless to say, Elizabethan England would not have been at all tolerant of non-Christians. It’s possible Shakespeare is mentioning non-Christian people (who would have been seen by his Christian audiences as heathens and heretics) because they would be alien, mysterious, or scary to the people of England.

Relatedly, Shakespeare’s plays have been accused of being anti-Semitic. In the witches’ rhyme, only the Jew is described by Shakespeare as “blaspheming.” The Jews had been banished from England for hundreds of years by the time Shakespeare was writing his plays, which meant his audiences would very likely have been anti-Semitic or hostile towards Jews.

gall of goat

We have to speculate on this ingredient, and there are at least two plants with goat-based nicknames that could have gone in the pot. Hypericum perforatum, also known as St. John’s Wort or goatweed, is a plant that has yellow flowers and has been used in medicines since ancient times. Honeysuckle, sometimes called goat’s leaf, is a general name for a large family of plants that include shrubs and vines that may have flowers or fruits.

slips of yew silver’d in the moon’s eclipse

A yew is a member of a group of evergreen trees that typically have leaves with needles and red berries. As should come as no surprise by now, yew and their fruits are typically highly toxic.

finger of birth-strangled babe ditch deliver’d by a drab

Once again, we have to speculate on the identity of this rather morbid ingredient. It’s possible that this ingredient could be foxglove, which is sometimes known as “bloody fingers.” Foxglove is a tall plant that is known for its drooping, tubelike flowers. Even today, foxglove has medicinal uses. Oh, and it is highly poisonous. Because of course it is.

tiger’s chaudron

This ingredient refers to lady’s mantle, scientifically known as Alchemilla mollis. Lady’s mantle is a favorite plant for gardens, as it is easy to grow and features clumps of green flowers. Bucking the trend, lady’s mantle is not poisonous and it is even known to attract butterflies.

baboon’s blood

This ingredient doesn’t seem to refer to any plant that we know of. Assuming it isn’t literal, it’s thought that this ingredient may be referring to the blood of a spotted gecko. Geckos are able to regenerate parts of their bodies, which might explain why their blood (which could be the source of their power) would be added to this magical brew.

Full passage from Macbeth

If you’re curious how the witches put all these ingredients together, the following is the full passage from Act IV, Scene I of Macbeth. You can also refer back up to see our explanations for each of the bolded terms.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting,

Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Third Witch

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,

Witches’ mummy, maw and gulf

Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark,

Root of hemlock digg’d i’ the dark,

Liver of blaspheming Jew,

Gall of goat, and slips of yew

Silver’d in the moon’s eclipse,

Nose of Turk and Tartar’s lips,

Finger of birth-strangled babe

Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,

Make the gruel thick and slab:

Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron,

For the ingredients of our cauldron.

ALL

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Second Witch

Cool it with a baboon’s blood,

Then the charm is firm and good.

Source dictionary.com

[cactus-writes-things]

People as jackets I’ve owned

A trench coat that’s still too big for me

Late nights when the city lights illuminate your bedroom wall, the crackling of melting ice in a glass of cold brew coffee, the comforting weight of a watch on your wrist, the quiet whirring of an air conditioner calming the static in your brain, and taking comfort in knowing you’ll change over time

A mustard yellow double breasted blazer

Vintage paintings of painfully modern scenes, a macchiato with two pumps of hazelnut syrup, feeling old and young at the same time, getting lost in an IKEA for no reason, the swoop in your stomach when you miss a step on the staircase, barely muffled laughter from the back of the library, stroopwafels, and the gust of perfumed air whenever a bakery’s door swings open

An olive green utility jacket I’ve had since middle school

The rhythmic tapping of fingertips on a desk, sharp winds that make you squint as you walk, the familiar weight of glasses on the bridge of your nose, the quiet scratching of a pencil on paper, empty playgrounds, carrying a stack of books so tall you can barely see over it, the sharp scent of sharpies, and running to catch up to someone so you can walk together

A rain jacket that I’ve never worn in the rain

Outdated textbooks, the sound of doors closing, backlogging your dreams until they crush you in one fell swoop, a forgotten beverage growing cold, shirtsleeves folded up over a sweater, the rhythmic clacking of a keyboard, empty highways, the sharp scent of peppermint extract, out of tune pianos, and fog rolling in over a loud city

A dark blue down jacket with a bright green lining I outgrew in 7th grade

Slightly too bitter iced tea, the chatter of tourists at an attraction locals are jaded to, the clattering of utensils in a kitchen drawer, copper that’s starting to turn verdigris, the crunch of snow under old but comfortable boots, dark chocolate and salted caramel, faded posters, the background chatter in a restaurant, solitude

[archaic-stranger]

the architecture students

detailed sketches done on thin paper

a love for precision

learning about architectural styles and innovations across different regions and time periods

wandering around a new city, admiring the buildings

sketching ideas on scraps of paper 

a fascination with how the physical contours of a space can affect our experiences within it

visiting famous architectural landmarks, both ancient and modern

knowing that a building is far more than the materials that form it

having a favorite style of architecture and working its elements into your designs

arched ceilings, towering above your head

smudged ink from blueprints on your hands

designing buildings that are both beautiful and functional 

studying historical architectural feats

appreciating the smallest details of everything you do

carved stone tiles

using new technologies to make architecture more sustainable

an intricate combination of firmness, commodity, and delight, as Vitruvius described so long ago

the joy of seeing your concepts brought into the real world

making connections between mathematics, art, and engineering

dreaming of creating something that will last

[e-seal-deactivated20210319]

Necromancer that doesn’t know they’re a necromancer and thinks they’re just a really good emt

[raimagnolia]

That is the funniest thing i have ever read

[ofgeography]

the thing was, she wasn’t going to be able to pass the recertification exam, and she couldn’t figure out why. annabelle studied. she practiced. she pulled out every trick and shortcut she’d learned during her two years as an EMT and none of it worked. she just – she didn’t get it. it made no sense.

“wake up,” she urged the dummy, pressing her hands to the pulse points on its wrists. “come on. what the fuck.”

“yeah, i don’t think that asking nicely is going to do the trick,” hank said, his eyebrows raised. his helmet, the special one they’d decorated for him with craft supplies from michael’s when he’d gotten promoted to firestation chief, sat askew on his head. “i can see now why they didn’t pass you.”

annabelle rolled her eyes. “it’s a psychological thing,” she said. “it’s like, you give the brain an instruction and it follows naturally. and the pulse-point thing always works. i don’t know why it’s not, like, in any of the books, but i swear to god it’s worked for me every time.”

it was true that annabelle had the best record on low body counts, which was good because she was the smallest person on the team not counting Georgie, who was a corgi. jake and lillian were always making fun of her for having been the shortest of their whole rookie class. but it hadn’t ever been a problem before; annabelle rarely had to carry anybody out, because she was good enough at getting them on their feet.

but none of that would matter if she couldn’t pass her stupid recertification exam, because they’d take her badge and she’d have to go be, like, a doctor or something.

hank blew out a long breath and sunk down to where she was kneeling on the station floor in full fire gear, giving CPR to the practice dummy, whom they called dierdre. there was a little light that went on when you’d saved its life. it had been a dull gray for an hour now.

“look, AB. i know you’re a good firefighter, and i know you know how to deliver CPR. just do it like you do it during an emergency. you’re overthinking it.”

“but this is what i do during an emergency!” annabelle cried, throwing her hands up. “i put my hands on their pulse points and i use psychological mumbo-jumbo and they just get up and walk!” 

hank blinked. “…really,” he said, voice flat. “people who’ve been inhaling smoke for half an hour just … get up and walk.”

“the brain is an incredibly powerful organ,” said annabelle, shrugging. “look man, i don’t know, okay? but it works. i haven’t had to actually do CPR in like a year and a half.”

he gave her a long, quiet look and said, “well….huh,” before pushing himself back up onto his feet and frowning off into the distance. “keep practicing,” he said after a minute, and left her there.

-

hank switched her team.

“what the fuck, man,” she said, sliding into the truck next to him as the sirens went on. “i can’t get CPR on one fucking dummy and suddenly you don’t trust me to do my job without supervision?”

carl and bethany very carefully did not meet her eyes in the rearview from the backseat. bethany pulled a magazine from beneath the seat and said loudly, “look, carl, jennifer aniston and brad pitt are getting back together.”

“thank christ,” said carl. “i’ve been really worried about jen.”

hank gave annabelle the flat look that had gotten him promoted to firestation chief in the first place, the one that said i’m your dad and you don’t want to disappoint me. as always, annabelle wilted underneath it, sliding down in her seat and crossing her arms over her chest. it was a difficult feat in full gear but she wanted him to know she was feeling sullen.

“i trust you completely,” hank told her, his voice a light scold. “i want to see you in action so i can help you figure out what’s going wrong with the dummies. sometimes it’s hard for the brain to accurately remember everything that happens during a crisis.”

annabelle rolled her eyes. “i told you,” she said. “it’s just – it’s the same thing every time, I’m not like, blacking out.”

“great, then i’m about to learn a cool new trick,” hank said serenely, and pulled the truck out of the lot. annabelle kept her gaze focused out of the window, watching the city pass as carl and bethany talked loudly about which celebrities were dating which other celebrities and who wore what better. she tried to swallow down the nerves that tightened her throat. maybe the dummy was right. maybe she was doing something else and didn’t remember it. maybe the last two years had been a fluke and she had no business being a firefighter. maybe she was about to get fired.

there wasn’t a fire, though the alarm was going off. instead they found a bag of smoking popcorn and the collapsed heap of a forty-five year old bachelor type, down to just his boxers and a pair of slippers with llamas on them. he had no pulse. 

hank held carl and bethany back, directing them to deal with the smoke from the popcorn; annabelle he pointed toward the resident with a jerk of his chin. 

she sighed, kneeling by his side. she pressed her hands flat to his heart and then dragged them across his chest and down each arm, to his wrists. with her thumbs on his pulse point, she hissed, “let’s go, man. up and at ’em. you’re not meant to die in your underwear while cooking popcorn, come on.”

she held her breath for a few moments, conscious of hank’s eyes on her, and let out a long sigh of relief when she felt his pulse jump beneath her, watched his eyes flicker. “what the fuck?” he asked, voice a croak. “what happened?”

“you gotta eat more vegetables, bud,” annabelle told him, and looped his arm over her shoulders to help him get to his feet. she was so relieved she could have wept, but instead met hank’s eyes with a challenging glare. see? she thought. i told you. “let’s get you to the ambulance.”

-

“the bad news is that you have a lot of practicing to do if you want to pass your recert,” hank said without preamble, showing up at her apartment. she didn’t think she’d ever seen him in jeans before. it was weird. “the good news is i understand your problem now.”

annabelle stepped aside, beckoning him in. “what problem?” she demanded. “it worked! you saw it work. that’s the opposite of a problem.”

hank shrugged. he handed her a trifold that he’d clearly printed off at home. it said so you think you’re a necromancer. annabelle blinked down at it, and then up at hank, and then down at the trifold again. “i … don’t understand what’s happening here,” she told him honestly. 

“i’m not in the community and they’re kind of cagey, so i can’t really tell you a lot,” hank told her, stilted and visibly uncomfortable. “but i have a cousin who is, and um, i just want you to know that this doesn’t change anything. you’re still who you’ve always been and you have my complete support. we’ll figure out how to get around the recert. maybe i’ll – i can put you on admin duty to give you time to study. we’ll say it’s because of an injury.”

“hank,” annabelle said, with some urgency. “hank, this flier says the word necromancer.”

“yes,” agreed hank, looking relieved. “oh, good, you’ve heard of it already. i thought i was going to have to have the whole your body is changing talk.”

annabelle shook her head. “no, i – hank. you know that … um, you know that necromancy isn’t real, right? people can’t bring other people back from the dead. that’s crazy.”

“annabelle, not four hours ago you instructed a dead man to stand up and he did.”

“okay, he wasn’t dead, obviously. he was almost dead, at best.”

“no. he was dead.”

“i felt his pulse! it was very faint!”

“you called his pulse. no one else would have felt it, because it wasn’t there except in response to you.”

“hank, what the fuck.”

he shrugged. “read the flier,” he instructed. “and bring dierdre home with you. you’re going to have to practice a lot if you want to get recertified, considering you haven’t one time had to use any of the skills you learned the first go around.”

he bussed her temple as he went by, letting himself out of her apartment with a friendly wave. annabelle looked down at the flier in her hand with a frown. when she unfolded it, the first page said, everyone’s necromancy journey is different, but most people discover their gift by accident. have you ever brought a pet back to life? touched an elderly relatives hand and seen some of the color flood back into their face? or perhaps, more subtly, been able to keep cut flowers alive long past their purchase date?

annabelle looked at her kitchen table. she’d had the same vase of tulips on it since she moved in, three years ago. it was true they periodically started to wilt, but she usually just changed their water and they were fine, popping back up one after the other as she slid them into the fresh vase. 

“well shit,” annabelle said, letting the flier fall from her hands.

[brawltogethernow]

“okay, he wasn’t dead, obviously. he was almost dead, at best.”

“no. he was dead.”

[the-haiku-bot]

“okay, he wasn’t

dead, obviously. he was

almost dead, at best.”

Beep boop! I look for accidental haiku posts. Sometimes I mess up.

[archaic-stranger]

the translation & interpretation students

a love for words and how they communicate meaning

obsessing over the minute details of a word and its synonyms

wanting to transmit meaning and intent as accurately as possible

the wafer-thin pages of a dictionary

puzzling over how to interpret something that doesn’t have a direct translation

being fascinated by tiny details

debating connotations and implications of one word over another

a cup of coffee grown cold as you lose yourself in concentration

the ability to look at everything around you in deep detail and never grow tired of it

being able to understand more languages than you can speak

a commitment to interpreting meaning without bias

understanding the importance of accurate translations that fully convey meaning, both explicit and implied

owning copies of the same book in multiple languages

an appreciation for the power of words

thinking on your feet to interpret accurately on the spot

experimenting with new machine translation systems

debating the role of creativity in an interpreter’s job

the satisfaction of a translation that matches the original text as closely as possible

admiring the work of translators and interpreters throughout history

knowing the importance of accurate communication

comparing different translations of your favorite books, debating the choices made by the translator

[lovecrumbss]

aleksander kowalik

[cactus-writes-things]

About your recent post on the prevalence of English in India, I wonder if it's a complete coverage of the topic without speaking about how it's used in the south as the common language instead of adopting Hindi. I'll admit I don't know much about the topic but I know there is some discussion about English being an equally new language for everyone versus Hindi as the predominant language privileging those with certain backgrounds and geography.

I agree, it's certainly not complete coverage, but it's that way for a number of reasons. Like all other posts in this series, this one is meant to be an overview of a facet relevant to the issue, and not a complete examination of the topic. This is because the sort of thorough analysis such a topic warrants would be impractical, at least for my aim in writing this series, which is spreading awareness. Although each topic I've written about so far is wholly deserving of a series of its own, all these posts are meant to give a general idea to the reader, who can pursue further research, should they have an interest to do so.

Thank you for the ask!

[cactus-writes-things]

It's also worth noting that I avidly try to avoid the whole discussion about how Hindi should be used everywhere in India; there’s already been so much discourse about it, to which I try not to contribute.

[cactus-writes-things]

About your recent post on the prevalence of English in India, I wonder if it's a complete coverage of the topic without speaking about how it's used in the south as the common language instead of adopting Hindi. I'll admit I don't know much about the topic but I know there is some discussion about English being an equally new language for everyone versus Hindi as the predominant language privileging those with certain backgrounds and geography.

I agree, it's certainly not complete coverage, but it's that way for a number of reasons. Like all other posts in this series, this one is meant to be an overview of a facet relevant to the issue, and not a complete examination of the topic. This is because the sort of thorough analysis such a topic warrants would be impractical, at least for my aim in writing this series, which is spreading awareness. Although each topic I've written about so far is wholly deserving of a series of its own, all these posts are meant to give a general idea to the reader, who can pursue further research, should they have an interest to do so.

Thank you for the ask!

[cactus-writes-things]

British Colonialism and Language in an independent India

INTRODUCTION -

India has been ruled by the Guptas, the Moguls, and many other forces for centuries throughout its history, and yet, none of these rulers insisted that their languages be the norm. When Urdu and Arabic became the languages of the rulers, Sanskrit was still being used commonly, as well as in educational institutions. 

However, when the British came to India and stayed for 300 years, we began to forget our own languages in favor of gaining English fluency.

THE EFFECT OF ENGLISH ON INDIAN LANGUAGES - 

Of course, using a few English words here and there in place of lengthy and impractical words for more modern developments is not problematic at all, it’s the fact that many Indians avoid their native languages out of embarrassment that is.

There are already terms such as “Hinglish” and “Tanglish”, which describe the combining of English grammar and constructions with Hindi and Tamil, respectively.

And although this is also another harmless occurrence, in stark contrast is the very real threat of extinction that several Indian languages are facing; an approximated 400 Indian languages are on the verge of falling out of use as a direct consequence of the growing power of English in India.

As already discussed in my post about education in India in regards to British colonialism, Thomas Babington Macaulay is one of the major causes of the slow but steady death of Indian languages.

His change of the Indian education system brought with it a tremendous loss of Indian and Arabic literature, culture, and literacy. The cause? Racism

ENGLISH AS A SYMBOL OF SOCIAL STATUS - 

Since the era of British Colonialism, English had been perceived as a sign of high status, a status so high that it could only be reached by standing on the bones of Indians who had not bent over backwards to learn a language only to communicate with their oppressors.

Nowadays, English is viewed as the key to success in life, and somehow, as being inherently superior to Indian languages for some reason I can’t begin to fathom. [No offense to native English speakers, but you can’t though thought thorough throughout trough your way through this one].

With the tremendous growth of software and the service industry, English has become synonymous with employment, and thorough proficiency with the language is an unspoken guarantee of almost immediate social integration and respect.

As English slowly became the language of commerce and international communications many private schools opened all over India with the aim of profiting from teaching Indian citizens English by exploiting the cultural bias surrounding the English language in India.

One such institute operates under the name of The English Clinic, which not-so-subtly likens a lack of English fluency to an illness. 

Furthermore, many Indian call center workers are given hours of training to remove any trace of accent, modulation, and inflection influenced by their mother tongues, despite having enough English fluency to succeed at their work.

Despite the fact that many rural areas in India are keeping their languages alive, there is a great divide that stands between them and more urbanized areas, which not only has a negative impact on communication, but also paints a very disparaging picture of these rural areas on account of their lower population of English speakers.

Due to the nature of English being a language of colonizers and those who could pay to be educated in it, the language itself stands as a symbol of the extent of British colonialism; even now, many Indians strive to perfect their English accents and become proficient in the language as a way to be respected in social and professional settings, and are often not taken seriously if they do not go to such lengths to become fluent in English.

Conveniently enough, this situation of English education segues into the next issue in this topic - elitism.

ENGLISH AND ELITISM IN INDIAN EDUCATION - 

Despite it being factually proven that education in the student’s mother tongue until 5th grade will better their odds at having full English fluency, many oppose this move because of a heavy social stigma that, unlike British rule, has not yet left India. 

There is, throughout India, the persisting notion that English education is somehow superior to other forms; while the root of this situation can be traced back to Macaulayism, it only does so much to explain the collective social belief in India that English education results in better student performance.

In fact, a columnist once supported the perspective that educating students in their mother tongues “is responsible for keeping India a poor, backward country”

To describe education in a student’s mother tongue as the reason for keeping a country “poor” and “backwards” is an insult to both the education provided and the country, as it invalidates the student’s mother tongue - and primary form of self expression - and insults a country, as India is far from poor or backward, having regenerated more or less $45 trillion of stolen wealth in the span of a few years and is on its way to becoming a global superpower.

Indubitably, at the root of this all is the lingering sentiment of Western Imperialism in our modern Indian society that has somehow made its way into our languages and social conventions.

CONCLUDING NOTES - 

English, when treated as the language of status and success by Indian people, is yet another example of internalized Western imperialism, which creates a new societal hierarchy that everyone must comply with in order to be treated well in everyday life.

While we would all like to believe that Indian colonization ended in 1947, by respecting English enough to go so far as to make it the preferred medium of education in a country that went to great lengths to prune British influence from its roots is an injustice to Indian languages and culture, not to mention people. 

The Indian societal standards concerning English fluency are a direct byproduct of colonial-era beliefs, and in the education system, it becomes something beyond success and communication; it becomes a matter of status. 

Therefore, in some way, British colonization still lingers in the minds of millions of Indians, who, to this day, believe that English education is superior to education given through Indian languages.

SOURCES AND RECOMMENDED READING - 

My other posts in this series

Enathu India - S Ramakrishnan 

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/the-killing-of-mother-tongue/articleshow/756116.cms

https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/seven-decades-after-independence-many-tribal-languages-in-india-face-extinction-threat-73071

https://mediaindia.eu/culture/wiping-out-our-languages/

https://telanganatoday.com/india-and-english-language

https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2015/09/vernacular-languages-in-india/

https://edtimes.in/why-is-a-person-fluent-in-english-assumed-to-be-intellectual-belong-to-upper-strata-of-society/

https://scroll.in/article/969356/why-is-india-obsessed-with-english-medium-education-when-it-goes-against-scientific-consensus

https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/11/06/the-problem-with-the-english-language-in-india/?sh=3b588269403e

https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/society/indian-society/impact-of-british-on-indian-society-and-culture/47607

https://www.crossculture.com/the-influence-of-indian-languages-on-english/

https://psmag.com/news/how-english-creates-a-new-caste-system-in-india

TAGLIST - [A huge thank you to @rainbowsnowflake and @nuphar-scintillans for proofreading!]

@nuphar-scintillans  @rainbowsnowflake @err-filecorrupted @alinastarkrovs @pikachuketchup1207 @alienratchild @sapphic-beauty @sinistergooseberries @cloudiivity @fanofmischiefmakers  @malevolentbrocade @ushaletap @cactus-extraordinaire @khalicooker @malevolentbrocade @demiromantic-aamsexual

[saanjhish]

Diwali x the Crows

The Rangoli

Inej and Nina make the rangoli together at the Van-Eck mansion.

It is a crow surrounded by something that represents each member.

For Kaz, it's the crow cane.

For Inej, it's two knives.

For Jesper, it's his revolvers, or as he likes to adress them, his babies.

For Nina, it's a heart.

For Wylan, it's a bomb.

For Matthias, Nina convinces Inej on making his wolf, Tryss, to honor his memory, knowing the love he had for him. But doesn't tell her the reason why they're making a wolf, a little secret that stays just between the two of them.

Kaz doesn't admit it but finds it beautiful.

Jesper keeps on complaining as to why he wasn't invited to help as well.

Wylan fanboys all over it.

The Clothing

Inej is wearing a dark blue lehenga, the colour so dark, it matches the night sky.

The golden embroidery on the lehenga makes the illusion of her wearing the scenery of Ketterdam at night even more believable. She is also wearing a blue bindi.

Kaz denies the kurta Inej gives him to wear at first, but Inej forces him to wear it and when he does, he likes the feel of it.

He wears a black kurta with a black dhoti, but draws the line at no-hat and changing his shoes.

He won't admit it, but he likes having wiggle room for his legs.

Jesper gladly wears a dark green kurta with black slacks.

He keeps on bragging about how dashing he looks, checking himself out in the mirror every 5 minutes and flirting with himself.

Wylan is wearing a beige kurta with light brown slacks and likes it.

He asks Inej if he could keep it and where he could find more and she gladly tells him.

Nina is wearing a bright red saree with dark red embroidery.

Much like Jesper, she tends to flirt with herself every 5-10 minutes as well.

For Matthias, Nina likes to imagine him in a light blue kurta, right by her side.

He feels content and at peace to see them all happy as well from the beyond.

The Pooja/Arti

Inej, being the religious one, makes them all be a part of the Arti.

Jesper keeps losing his patience and taps his foot on the floor, being bored standing at one place with his hands in a praying position.

Wylan likes the Arti and decides mid-Arti that he's going to learn how to play it on the flute.

Inej is swaying side-to-side to the music, eyes closed, her mind getting lost in the prayer, her hands clapping along the music.

She is singing it as well, out of pitch but it doesn't matter to her one bit. She is in her religious, traditional mode.

Kaz thinks it unnecessary to do the Arti but does it anyway for Inej.

He cannot help but discreetly admire her unnatural beauty.

He also likes the music, but he only keeps his hands in praying position. He doesn't take much part in it.

Nina is fascinated by the traditions by now and is also swaying to the music.

She teases Kaz when a hint of a smile reaches his mouth and he glares at her.

She turns her attention back to the Arti after Inej scold them both for being childish and not paying attention.

The Parshad and Sweets

Nina loves the sweets and parshad as much as she does Waffles and everybody is shocked to hear her declare that statement.

Kaz doesn't make it look like he's one for sweet foods but is internally enjoying them to the fullest.

He is grateful that the bitter taste of black coffee, that he does not like one bit but has to drink to keep up his image and to stay awake, is gone and the sweet taste of the sweets and parshad is replacing it, being that he has a secret sweet tooth.

Inej eats some sweets and parshad as well, proud that her traditions are liked by them all.

She notices Kaz also liking the sweets and chuckles at him for being so secretive about it. She has to hold in a laugh when she catches him stealing the sweets.

Jesper is in love with the sweets and the parshad. He wants them to be his breakfast, lunch and dinner. He thanks Inej for introducing him to them.

The sweet taste reminds him of his mother kind, generous and sweet nature and that is why he loves them even more.

Wylan doesn't like sweet things as much but tends to take a liking towards the sweets.

Again, he asks Inej where he can buy them and when he gets the answer, he writes it down in his to-do list to go buy them.

The Firecrackers

Wylan is by far the most excited about this tradition and after eating the parshad and the sweets, he runs out to blow some bombs and make some explosions.

Jesper joins him with the same amount of excitement and his jaw drops when he learns that there's gun-firecrackers as well.

Nina is having fun along with Jesper and Wylan, occasionally sending worried glances over to Wylan because he keeps on experimenting each and every cracker.

She waves her hand at the smoke it produces and coughs once or twice but continues to enjoy.

Inej is simply enjoying seeing the others enjoy and is standing at the side, lighting diyas and placing them at the corner of the houses.

She finds Kaz sitting idly, twisting a phool jhaddi in his hand with his usual scowl displayed on his face and decides to go sit by him.

Kaz site idly on a bench, watching the others play with the crackers, occasionally twisting a phool jhaddi in his hand, trying to solve the puzzle of what the purpose of it is.

He finds Inej lighting up the diyas and he can't help but notice how the fire reflects perfectly on her skin and eyes.

It makes her skin glow and her eyes look like pools of honey. Inej comes and sits by him. She helps him with the phool jhaddi.

Bonus

Inej asks Kaz if he needs help with the phool jhaddi and he denies it, but Inej helps him anyway, knowing that his stubborn self would never admit he does.

She reached for the arm that held the phool jhaddi and paused an inch away from it hesitantly, knowing he didn't like being touched or such a close proximity.

Kaz meets her eyes and slowly moved his arm into her palm such that it looks like she is holding it.

Inej nods at the gesture and moves his hand forward towards a diya.

The phool jhaddi's tip lights up and it looks like fire crackers are going off on the stick.

Kaz mutters "incredible" under his breath but Inej notices.

She tells him to move his arm in whatever way he wants to make patterns with the phool jhaddi, and when he does, he looks genuinely impressed.

[parisgellerstudy]

MASSIVE list of book recs

plays

death of a salesman, arthur miller

macbeth, shakespeare

a streetcar named desire, tennessee williams

hamlet, shakespeare

a raisin in the sun, lorraine hansberry

a midsummer night’s dream, shakespeare

antigone, sophocles

king lear, shakespeare

the glass menagerie, tennessee williams

othello, shakespeare

pygmalion, george bernard shaw

the tempest, shakespeare,

much ado about nothing, shakespeare

as you like it, shakespeare

the taming of the shrew, shakespeare

the merry wives of windsor, shakespeare

the merchant of venice, shakespeare

oedipus rex, sophocles

an ideal husband, oscar wilde

who’s afraid of virginia wolf, edward albee

our town, thornton wilder

waiting for godot, samuel beckett

fantasy/fairy tales

the ranger’s apprentice, john flanagan

harry potter series, j.k. rowling

inkheart by cornelia funke

throne of glass, sarah j. maas

the chronicles of narnia, c.s. louis

the lord of the rings, j.r.r. tolkien

the hobbit, j.r.r. tolkien

percy jackson and the olympions, rick riordan

eragon by christopher paolini

the bartimaeus trilogy, jonathan stroud

howl’s moving castle, dianna wynne jones

the wonderful wizard of oz, lyman frank baum

the books of bayern, shannon hale

ella enchanted, gail carson levine

the princess bride, william goldman

the raven cycle, maggie stiefvater

the sisters grimm, michael buckley

the spiderwick chronicles, tony diterlizzi and holly black

the alchemist, paulo coelho

forgive my fins, tera lynn childs

alice in wonderland, lewis carroll

the faerie path, allan jones frewin

the school for good and evil, soman chainani

the grimm legacy, polly shulman

the sweetest spell, suzanne selfors

the tales of the frog princess, e.d. baker

the wide-awake princess, e.d. baker

once a witch, carolyn maccullough

the silver bowl series, diane stanley

the emily windsnap series, liz kessler

fairest, gail carson levine

the fairy realm series, emily rodda

the water mirror, kai meyer

the two princesses of bamarre, gail carson levine

non-fiction

the seven habits of highly effective people, stephen covey

the seven habits of highly effective teens, sean covey

mencken’s chrestomathy, h.l. mencken

yes please, amy poehler

is everyone hanging out without me? (and other concerns), mindy kaling

audrey hepburn: an elegant spirit, sean hepburn ferrer

how to be lovely: the audrey hepburn way of life, melissa hellstern

how to win friends and influence people, dale carnegie

how to win friends and influence people for teen girls, donna dale carnegie

#girlboss by sophia amuroso

14,000 things to be happy about, barbara ann kipfer

choose to matter, julie foudy

the little book of skin care: korean beauty secrets for healthy, glowing skin, charlotte cho

where stylists shop: the fashion insider’s ultimate guide, booth moore

the girls’ book of glamour: a guide to being a goddess, jeffrie sally

the girls’ book: how to be the best at everything, juliana foster

the girls’ book of excellence: even more ways to be the best at everything, sally norton

the life-changing magic of not giving a f*ck: how to stop spending time you don’t have with people you don’t like doing things you don’t want to do (a no f*cks given guide), sarah knight

bossypants, tina fey

we should all be feminists by chimamanda ngozi adichie

behind the scenes: or, thirty years a slave, and four years in the white house, elizabeth keckley

the pillow book, sei shōnagon

eat pretty: nutrition for beauty, inside and out, jolene hart

eat pretty every day: 365 daily inspirations for nourishing beauty, inside and out, jolene hart

narrative of the life of frederick douglass, frederick douglass

narrative of sojourner truth, sojourner truth

12 years a slave, solomon northup

night, elie wiesel

poetry

the flowers of evil, charles baudelaire

a season in hell, arthur rimbaud

she walks in beauty, lord byron

shakespeare’s sonnets, shakespeare

we real cool, gwendolyn brooks

poems of emily dickinson

poems of robert frost

leaves of grass, walt whitman

the raven, edgar allen poe

poems of edgar allen poe

milk and honey by rupi kaur

the sun and her flowers, rupi kaur

the princess saves herself in this one, amanda lovelace

romance

romeo and juliet, shakespeare

emma, jane austen

ever, gail carson levine

pride and prejudice, jane austen

eleanor and park, rainbow rowell

sense and sensibility, jane austen

jane eyre, charlotte brontë

landline, rainbow rowell

madame bovary, gustave flaubert

to all the boys i’ve loved before, jenny han

love in the time of cholera, gabriel garcía márquez

the sun is also a star, nicola yoon

young adult

fangirl, rainbow rowell

great expectations, charles dickens

aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe, benjamin alire sáenz

when the moon was ours, anna-marie mclemore

the goldfinch, donna tartt

looking for alaska, john green

we were liars, e. lockhart

the wrath and the dawn, renée ahdieh

little women, louisa may alcott

palace of spies, sarah zettel

the clique series, lisi harrison

the finishing school series, gail carriger

eyes like stars, lisa mantchev

the ever after high series, shannon hale

along for the ride, sarah dessen

girl online, zoe sugg

keeping the castle, patrice kindl

stargirl, jerry spinelli

stir it up, ramin ganeshram

prom and prejudice, elizabeth eulberg

the summer i saved the world…in 65 days, michele weber hurwitz

pink and green series by lisa greenwald

six of crows, leigh bardugo

the catcher in the rye, j.d. salinger

the house on mango street, sandra cisneros

turtles all the way down, john green

under the lights, dahlia adler

geekerella, ashley poston

simon vs. the homo sapiens agenda, becky albertalli

it’s not like it’s a secret, misa sugiura

the idiot, elif batuman

the outsiders, s.e. hinton

everything leads to you, nina lacour

a wrinkle in time, madeleine l’engle

dumplin’, julie murphy

historical fiction

the great gatsby, f. scott fitzgerald

the scarlet letter, nathaniel hawthorne

a tale of two cities, charles dickens

the song of achilles, madeline miller

the last of the mohicans, james fenimore cooper

the constant princess, philippa gregory

the count of monte cristo, alexandre dumas

les misérables, victor hugo

war and peace, leo tolstoy

a mad, wicked folly, sharon biggs waller

manor of secrets, katherine longshore

to kill a mockingbird, harper lee

uncle tom’s cabin, harriet beecher stowe

atonement ian mcewan

the unbearable lightness of being, milan kundera

things fall apart, chinua achebe

ophelia, lisa m. klein

the god of small things, arundhati roy

gothic fiction

frankenstein, mary shelley

dracula, bram stoker

the picture of dorian gray, oscar wilde

wuthering heights, emily brontë

parody/satire

catch-22, joseph heller 

candide, voltaire

don quixote, miguel de cervantes

animal farm, george orwell

the importance of being earnest, oscar wilde

science fiction

the city of ember, jeanne duprau

1984, george orwell

the handmaid’s tale, margaret atwood

brave new world, aldous huxley

the lunar chronicles, marissa meyer

the time machine, h.g. wells

the fourteenth goldfish, jennifer l. holm

fahrenheit 451, ray bradbury

twenty thousand leagues under the sea, jules verne

the extraordinary voyages series, jules verne

epics

beowulf, author unknow

the odyssey, homer

the iliad, homer

the bhagavad gita, vyasa

the mahabharata, vyasa

inferno, dante alighieri

miscellaneous

the bell jar, sylvia plath

the secret history, donna tartt

swann’s way, marcel proust

the art of war, sun tzu

the awakening, kate chopin

moby dick, herman melville

anna karenina, leo tolstoy

the canterbury tales, geoffrey chaucer

the crucible, arthur miller

one flew over the cuckoo’s nest, ken kesey

the antichrist, friedrich nietzsche

sew zoey, nancy taylor and chloe zhang

the candymakers, wendy mass

my sister the vampire series, sienna mercer

eight hundred grapes, laura dave

their eyes were watching god, zora neale hurston

the adventures of huckleberry finn, mark twain

the adventures of tom sawyer, mark twain

a christmas carol, charles dickens

the old man and the sea, ernest hemingway

to the lighthouse, virginia woolf

utopia, thomas more

a spy in the house of love, anaïs nin

crime and punishment, fyodor dostoyevsky

the assistants, camille perri

a room of one’s own, virginia woolf

the joy luck club, amy tan

sputnik sweetheart, haruki murakami

the namesake, jhumpa lahiri

a thousand splendid suns, khaled hosseini

crazy rich asians, kevin kwan

save the date, morgan matson

neuromancer, william gibson

thanks for reading! i hope this helped some of you out. hugs, mel ✨✨✨