Reverend Mother

Rio, 22, they/he

[edgebug]

happy 20 year anniversary of Neil banging out the tunes!

though every rat is special, it's a wonderful and unusual thing for their accomplishments to be remembered and cherished by so many people so many years later. we're all so fortunate to know about the rat who banged out the tunes!

thank you to all the people who sent me reference photos of their beloved rats for this piece!!! credits under the cut!

@joe-spookyy Ben and Socrates

@gooseontheinternet Chamomile and Beefy

@runawayy-rat Bartholomäus and Emo

@theunholystromboli Macrogryphosaurus, Xenoceratops, and Graciliraptor

@techlecticwtch Solas and Dorian

@merlyn-bane Roslyn and Rizzoli

@logictoinsanity Luna and Buttercup

@hagsthehag Orphie, Psyche, Calypso, Ariadne, and Eury

my sweet ladies Bonnie, Mira, An, and Tula

and of course, the irreplaceable

Neil,

who banged out the tunes

[freakoutgirl]

the internet seems like a distant dream

[freakoutgirl]

whatever we are on rn is not the internet. It's ads

[reverendmawma]

divest divest divest. leave the attention economy in every way you can divas. the only way out is to starve the beast!

[reverendmawma]

no. i don't wanna play your FUCKING AI GAME

[bugdotpng]

absolutely boggles my mind how so many social media sites do NOT want you scrolling without an account. can't even click on an instagram profile while not being logged in without it blocking you. even if you put it in the url, it only lets you scroll like twice before it prompts you to log in. fucking youtube won't let me watch videos on my phone anymore because i use firefox focus and don't want to log in every time i wanna watch a video so it's instead flagged me as a bot. i also think social media sites are drastically overestimating how badly i "need" to use their sites. if you won't let me browse someone's profile or watch a damn video on the Browsing Profiles and Watching Videos social media sites then i will simply leave. the power of chucking your phone into the metaphorical ocean. i hope i hurt their metrics every time i close out of a tab <3

[reverendmawma]

DIVEST FROM EVIL CORPORATIONS!

[melonthesprigatito]

Anybody else?

[wovi]

[krispycl0uds]

This one resonated with me

[an0neemouse]

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Hey!

Your writing matters. 🤗

[mad-scientist-council]

killing all of those ai chat ads that are sporing themselves across tumblr with a maelstrom or rocks. Fuck you and fuck your product. I do not want to replace my mutual with ai chat. I do not want to simulate my cats inner monologue with ai chat. I do not want to talk to my blorbos with ai chat. Fuck your and fuck your product.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

How to build a small town

@fantasylover4evr asked what stores and jobs there would be in a fictional small town, so here we are:

Community spaces

Places of worship

Library

Community center

Town hall

Local museum

Theater

Art gallery or craft studio

Park with places for hanging out

Stores/Places of Business

Food & Drink & Entertainment

General store or corner market

Grocery store (often family-owned)

Diner or café

Bar or pub

Bakery

Ice cream shop

Pizza place or fast-food stand

Farm stand

Arcade

Bowling alley

Old movie theater

Retail

Hardware store

Gas station

Pharmacy/drugstore

Clothing store or thrift shop

Bookstore

Tourist shop

Antique shop

Pawn shop

Services

Post office

Bank or credit union

Barber shop / hair salon

Auto repair shop

Laundromat

Real estate office

Insurance office

Funeral home

Old motel or inn

Local radio station

Jobs & Professions

Town Infrastructure

Mayor

Town council members

Town clerk

Public works employees

Sanitation workers

Building inspector

Emergency & Health

Police officers

Firefighters (often volunteer)

Paramedics

Doctor or family physician

Nurse or clinic staff

Veterinarian

Education

Teachers

School principal

School counselor

School nurse

Janitor

Librarian

Coach

Head of the school board

Trades & Skilled Work

Mechanic

Electrician

Plumber

Carpenter

Contractor

Welder

Seamstress

Rural Jobs

Farmers

Ranchers

Dairy workers

Mill workers

Fishermen

Forestry workers

Truck drivers

Feed store employees

Other Jobs

Grocery bagger

Postman

Cashier

Café server

Bartender

Cook

Dishwasher

Newspaper editor

Photographer

Gas station attendant

Babysitter

Lifeguard

Farmhand

Business owner

More: High-paying jobs in the city

[reverendmawma]

I finally posted the first 2 chapters of my first fic! If you want angsty, gay Hancock, here you go. :)

[brainstreams]

WHY YOUR FIGHT SCENES ARE BORING

Fight scenes are a dime a dozen. Most fiction has it. But good fights are as rare as gold—and just as beautiful too. A good fight scene outshines a million terrible ones.

But what separates the good ones from the bad? Is it… the weapons? The physical descriptions? How the characters react?

The answer's not as clear-cut as you'd hope.

Today I'll be breaking down why your fight scenes suck (and how you can fix them). If this post ends up helping you, give me a reblog so I can help more writers! Share the love.

1). YOU'RE DESCRIBING TOO MUCH

Writers love to over-describe their fights—writing every punch, huff, expression, and micro-movement. You think you're doing a good job, but the truth is: you're slowing your scene down when fights should be fast. When you overdescribe, pacing suffers, and the fight gets boringly technical. Your readers will pick up on that and skip. 

Think of it as writing in slow-motion.

A good fight? It's quick. It's dirty. It's written in choppy sentences and minimal verbs because everything's moving so fast. Explain just enough so your readers know where everyone is, who's punching who, whose weapons' hitting what. But if you find yourself describing the individual flecks of sweat on someone's fist as it's charging forward, well… then you've gone too far.

Tips for you:

Do not describe everything blow-by-blow.

Highlight important moments as they come.

Characters can always discuss details after the fact.

Describe just enough for readers to know what's going on.

Most fights end in seconds.

When in doubt: trust your reader to fill in the blanks. (They're good at that.)

2.) YOUR FIGHTS LACK MEANING

Readers read books for a feeling. Fights are no exception.

Give your character something good to fight for. Don't make it about survival, because readers know your main character won't die. So give your fight stakes. What happens if your protagonist loses? Will they be exiled? Will someone else die? Why can't your protagonist walk away?

Make sure we feel the consequences before and during the fight. Foreshadowing is your best friend.

A bad fight scene? It fills white space for its own sake. It meanders—it exists because "fights are cool, y'know". If a fight is meaningless, readers won't waste their time with it.

Ask yourself these questions:

Why should we root for your hero?

What's at stake?

Who has the upperhand?

What are the consequences? ← (!!!)

A fight that's actually meaningful will change the rest of the story.

3). YOUR FIGHTS AREN'T FUN (And you're not having fun with them)

I know what you're thinking right now.

"But my fight has stakes, my fight has just enough detail, aaaand it has meaning!"

But those are all technical things. You're scratching off a list of requirements and calling it a day. 

Where's the banter? The plot twists? The power moves? How do the character's backstories and fight history come into play? Where are the injuries? And goddamn it—where are my car keys?!

A well-written fight is passable. A well-written but fun fight sticks in your mind. Those are the fights you reread over and over—the kind of fight that says, "Look at me. Look at what my characters are capable of."

Have fun with your fights. Add weird weapons, add a crazy-ass plot-twist that changes the upperhand. Write your fight as a game of chess where each move levels the playing field. Or write your fight as a non-stop rollercoaster ride of twists, turns, curves, and loop-de-loops. A fight so intense and weird but undeniably you, that by the end of it, your reader is left breathlessly asking, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?"

Not every fight should be a cinematic masterpiece. Not every fight needs a plot twist. But I am saying that a fun fight should be your priority. 

And if a "fun fight" doesn't fit your gritty and realistic medieval fantasy story? Fair enough, but don't let that stop you from adding something unique.

Different ideas you can steal:

Use your fight as a worldbuilding opportunity (you can get so creative with this!)

Add banter

The protag and antag are unexpectedly related (mentor/student, father/son, mother/daughter)

A secret or important plot device is revealed

Characters use the environment to fight (tossing sand in eyes, releasing a caged animal, etc.)

Reveal that your protagonist is more brutal than you'd have the reader believe

Add realistic injuries that suddenly change the fight (example: an injured arm can't block as well—perhaps your protag uses an unexpected item as a shield)

A special move unique to one character

A stronger third character joins the fight (forcing the two fighters to work together)

Changing locations mid-fight

Both fighters are progressively injured until they're both barely standing

The swordfight ends in a bloody fistfight

4). BONUS TIPS

These tips are just as important as the rest.

A combat injury can easily become a permanent one.

Read your favorite scenes and break down what they did.

Any character can experience PTSD, even if they're an experienced fighter (think: combat vets)

Don't get too flowery or wordy. 

A good fight scene is mostly atmosphere and feel.

Make it visceral. Make it uncomfortable.

Keep it real—swords are heavy, armor is heavy. A simple cut may seem like no biggie, until the blood dribbles down and affects their grip.

In sum:

Don't overdo descriptions, give your fight meaning, and make your fights FUN. Oh—and never skimp out on reading! Studying other fiction is just as important as writing it. Did this post help you? I'm glad. If you're struggling with your fight scenes right now, I offer feedback like this directly to your work.

This post was proudly written without generative AI.

[reverendmawma]

i'm finally taking the plunge and writing my first fic. of course it's gonna be about my husband hancock with my sosu

[dionysiaproductions]

[reverendmawma]

I really need to just let myself write and worry about details later

[tokkibean]

writing is so fun until you run out of pre-planned plot and you stand at the precipice and slowly realise that you never really had a plot in the first place

[thecharmingwraith]

I thought writing would feel like;

Turns out it’s herding cats. Half of them are on fire, and the other half are narrative choices I don’t remember making.

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

YOU. WILL. WRITE. oh you want to write so bad. all the motivation is here. the plot is so good. words come to you so naturally. YOU ARE GOING TO WRITE. RIGHT NOW.

[reverendmawma]

I finished Babel by R.F Kuang today, and damn that was a good novel. I have a million thoughts on it, but none so resounding as "FUCK Letitia Price"