The Writeblr of Mayhem

original fiction writer | genres: fantasy, science fiction, horror, and poetry | graduated with a BA in English and still can't figure writing out | no AI, only caffeine and poor sleep schedules | constantly coming up with new ideas | book review blog: mc-reviews

[celestialbunnistories]

I loathe naming my characters. I can only traverse the Fantasy Name Generator so many times before I get exhausted by this task

[moninils]

And all of this at once.

[hatchetfield-scarecrow]

There’s two ends of the horror spectrum

[ramblesamongstardust]

[redmegarex]

your house is fucked up

[metamorphesque]

i'm all the people i've ever loved

loseness lines over time by olivia de recat, @i-wrotethisforme, Kaveh Akbar, Olivie Blake

[celestialbunnistories]

Sent a pitch to an indie publisher, got a hint from a friend that the literary magazine we both submitted to should be finishing up with the reading period soon, and now working on a short story for another indie publisher that I want to publish under

[thisherelight]

the last of the summer storms.. 

[snailthimbles]

i love how t kingfisher writes older women. like yes life doesn't end after your 20s. yes you can still have romance and cool hobbies and deep friendships well beyond your 50s. jomarchwomen.jpeg and so on and so forth

[mollyjames]

This is just my two cents on what is ultimately a very complicated issue, but I feel like too often we treat representation like it's a quality problem when it would be better approached as a quantity problem. For as many people want to see a serious grounded portrayal of their experiences, there are also those who just want to relax and have a good time. So for instance, if you're writing a trans woman for your story, instead of pouring all of your effort into research - trying to avoid every stereotype while simultaneously making her all things to all trans women - you could instead just add a second trans woman

[mollyjames]

This has the added advantage that you can make them kiss, but I digress

[under-the-universe]

sorry to be aromantic but i need more stories w characters who get absolutely no romantic interests, plots, or romantic ending ‼️ gimme ppl w complex interpersonal relationships put into emotional life situations ‼️ but they all get zero bitches ‼️

[under-the-universe]

SAY IT LOUDER YOURE RIGHT !!!!!!!!!

[celestialbunnistories]

Adding a new inciting action to The Scientists' Daughter that feels a little better than it was before. Already wrote a few paragraphs about it

[miseria-fortes-viros]

do publishers realize that advertising books using fanfic tropes spoils the experience of reading an original story. stop telling me it’s enemies to lovers and there was only one bed and unrequited love hurt comfort golden retriever black cat timeloop major character death. why do i give a fuck if i don’t know any of the characters and now plus i already know the entire plot of the story. that’s what ao3 is supposed to be for

[chaumas-deactivated20240115]

you could make some good queer neo gothic horror about a friend group that takes the “family” in “found family” way too literally

[chaumas-deactivated20240115]

think about how toxic it is when someone conceives of themself as The Mom Friend in any way beyond always having snacks and sunscreen

and then imagine a group of friends that talks about itself the way bad tumblr discourse talked about found family… the cultish nightmare horror of The Mom Friend being like, “no Analee you cannot date Rahul, he’s your brother you disgusting freak” and they all met in college

[chaumas-deactivated20240115]

god. two unrelated adults who become close friends after one serves as a mentor and support to the other and everyone else prescriptively interprets their relationship as that of surrogate father/son and is horrified when they have the gall to see themselves as equals and possible romantic interests.

[chaumas-deactivated20240115]

just a story about people who have fled their own pasts yet are haunted by the spectre of The Family Unit that they cannot help but recreate over and over and over again thinking they have freed themselves from that prison by leaving blood behind

[carys-the-ninth]

The problem with commercial F/M romance is that it's written by the most heterosexual women alive and reading it you feel yourself slowly suffocating from the Gender of it all like a fish in a eutrophying lake. And what we actually need as a culture is F/M written by insane bisexuals violently allergic to heteronormativity

[asablehart]

My novelette "BRIDE / BUTCHER / DOE" is in this week's issue of Strange Horizons with a beautiful illustration by Max Banshees. If you like gore, body horror, and toxic lesbians, you'll probably find a lot to love in this one!

Please consider supporting Strange Horizons if you've enjoyed reading anything in this issue : )

[asablehart]

"BRIDE / BUTCHER / DOE" was reviewed in Locus Magazine by Charles Payseur, who calls it "a vis­ceral and unsettling story, but also a beautiful and moving look at bodies, control, and desire." 😊

[asablehart]

Guess what's on the Locus Recommended Reading List for 2024!!

[alistonjdrake]

A Woman of No Importance: The Two Deaths of Mathilde van Bibbr

Princess Mathilde van Bibbr was born in 894 W.C and was executed in the spring of 946 W.C on the orders of King Oswald of Vilsland after launching a rebellion to install her husband on the throne instead.

Her death did not cease when the executioner cut through her neck. Her second death had just begun and lasted much longer. In the words of historian Sabina Spahr, "a great woman had to suffer two deaths. The first of her mortal body, and the second of her reputation. Queens of the Early Ages have been disgraced in ways not seen by their male counterparts. We debate the truth behind rumors of their infidelities, even when no proof exists and the claims are ludicrous bawdy tales dreamt up by men who were emasculated by their power. We consume stories of heartless mothers who sent princes to death to hold onto a chair for a moment longer, the all-consuming selfish leading lady who dines on luxuries while the country starves, the black widow. What lies underneath? Yes, the hatred and valid criticisms of monarchs and the power they held by a matter of birth, the inherent unfairness of such wealth being drenched in the quiet suffering of those who could not write their side of history. But also the seductive hatred of women."

Mathilde dying is a big part of the story and is symbolic of how the historians writing them treat all the "historical" characters and how ultimately none of them are around to speak for themselves. They're already dead. Who she was and why she did what she did fades behind biases and imagined motives.

The Early Ages was a fraught time for a budding country, and no one knows that better than historian Sabina Sphar, whose deep dive into one long-gone country leads to an obsession with two women held responsible for its downfall. The year is 946 W.C. and King Oswald of Vilsland has just ordered the execution of his once beloved aunt, Princess Mathilde. Now wanted for treason, Princess Mathilde seeks refuge in her childhood home, currently occupied by a woman who holds a powerful grudge. Twenty years ago, Cierra Dimmock and Princess Mathilde were rivals in the midst of a bloody game of intrigue and court manners. One was a standing regent struggling to keep her grasp on the court and the other the new, foreign wife of a prominent duke. Their feud resulted in one being jailed and the other humiliated. Now, the tables have turned and Cierra is a wealthy widow and Dowager Duchess while Princess Mathilde is an exile looking for political asylum. In a moment of pity, Cierra allows her old enemy to spend the night in her home. Their fates will be sealed by morning and this decision could cost both women their lives. But what is certain is that their country and history will never be the same.

Told through interviews, land deeds, court diaries, letters, Cierra’s own narration, and the musings of several historians. A Woman of No Importance tells the story of a rotten feud between two middle-aged women but also the ill-fated history of Vilsland and how the interactions of these characters wiped it off the map.

Please ask to be added to the taglist!

Taglist: @thelittlestspider  @thelaughingstag

[alistonjdrake]

A Woman of No Importance: UnImportant People

As it turns out I cannot write fake history without creating fake historical figures so below I will compose a list of historical figures by "type" mentioned in awoni so that I don't forget and I can scratch the itch in my brain that likes things to be cataloged in annoying ways. We'll start with

The Writers

Alexander van Neste : A poet most notable for his descriptions of landscapes and his close acquaintance with political figures. Most active in the 940s Ivo Túfel : A poet who wrote extensively about unrequited love and is suspected of having several scandalous affairs. Most active in the 920s before his execution in 926. Philibert de Luc : Wrote "The Secrets of Women" a book that outlines the inherent deceit and sinful nature based on his observations. Madame de Bellièvre : Wrote books full of early methods of contraceptives, abortifacients, etc. Suspected to be Isabeau de Bellièvre, Cierra's aunt and Notker's first love but neither mentions this part of her life. Christine di Pallo : Wrote " Handbook for Moral Women " a guide for soon-to-be brides to know how to conduct themselves in private and public circles and also a day-to-day guide on the expectations of "good" women. Giorgio Gritti : Wrote  “On The Burdens of Sovereignty” a series of intimate interviews and observations with princes and powerful men. A look into the lives and mentalities of rulers, although this writer was born half a century after the ones mentioned above. Harrye Throckmorton: Wrote "Two Noble Women" the first fictional account of the rivalry between Cierra de Bellièvre and Mathilde van Bibbr, a play that debuted in 1625.

[celestialbunnistories]

I saw this lovely piece of art (go check it out, it's amazing) of how dragons would be drawn as they're traditionally drawn because of their bone structure. When, in fact, they are big fluffy birds.

And now I'm thinking about this for Wilting Roses because that feels like a cute idea.

It wouldn't be the norm, though, but some dragons are more feather than scale because of climate/habitat/etc. Especially for where this story takes place; seeing feathery dragons would make sense.

And maybe having Huckleberry as a scaley (or leathery) dragon would point out how Ava-Clara feels alone and out of place amid her community.