miaow.

studyblr and writeblr (more the latter than the former). This is a side account. main: @armygdala

[bucketofcrows]

wrote an incredibly self-indulgent line today that got me extremely flustered. and naturally when trying to figure out how to cool myself off my initial response was to say "i'm dj normal" to myself

[rkivetxt]

I have an idea for this blog. I am going to read articles and take notes and post them here. Entirely non-consequential but it is something to do.

[eridan-ampora]

narrator who's terrible at social cues & describes every facial expression as "unreadable"

[ursulakats]

"The frown was completely unreadable. Thankfully, the loaded and raised gun offered a clue."

[ghostpoetics]

yeah

[rkivetxt]

Oh this is haunting, i love it

[writingdose]

© _ADWills

[spiribia]

The thing about character design theory is I really think we shouldn’t just keep reinforcing our “this is what a sneaky and untrustworthy character looks like, this is what a threatening and intimidating character looks like, this is what an innocent character worth protecting looks like, this is what a smart and competent character looks like, this is what a man looks like vs what a woman looks like” conventions like they’re innate human wiring that we tap into scientifically and not like, heavily societal

[gayteensupreme]

NOT staying in the tags on my watch

[sariahsue]

@sketchy-panda​

[carpisuns-archive]

[prophetic-memory]

Mary Oliver, "Wild Geese"

[prophetic-memory]

Mary Oliver, "Flare"

[treecitysessions]

Why does everyone think fiction is just fantasy wish fulfillment now and not like an exploration of themes and ideas

[treecitysessions]

People will be like “this movie is evil and gross because it depicts a predatory relationship” and then you watch the movie in question and it’s about how preying on young women is bad and impacts their lives negatively

[treecitysessions]

“Why would they do this instead of just making everyone in the movie nice and normal and good” so we would have this conversation….

[writing-prompt-s]

You are the adventurer who went on an epic quest and defeated the evil king, all to gain the sacred amulet and use its one wish to revive your sister. Now everyone expects you to accept her death and use the wish to undo the damage instead. You refuse.

[caffeinewitchcraft]

Blood has stopped streaming from the wound bisecting your brow, but it still stings your eyes something fierce. You take your gauntlets off, grimacing as the grime and soot from battle tries to keep the metal welded to your skin. There’d been an explosion during the final fight with the king – no, the tyrant. Explosions, maybe. Your magic’s been erratic lately, the sudden growth of your mana pool far outpacing your control. You wipe your eyes with the back of your cleaner hand.

There’s pressure in your chest you’ve never felt before. You want to laugh. No, you want to scream. Your body is too tired to jump around like you did when you were a little girl, but you find yourself bouncing in place regardless. The thrill of battle and of escaping the castle as it collapsed is thrumming through your veins. You did it. You did it.

You are so happy, so devastatingly happy, that you can feel yourself shutting down. You need—you need rest. Food. Sleep.

Then you can save her. Then you can bring her back.

“Roksala,” Prince Eloyn says. You squint past the last rays of day to see him frowning at you. The ruins of the tyrant’s castle don’t appear to interest him. His eyes narrow. “Are you ignoring me?”

Keep reading

[magic-is-something-we-create]

hi!

this is very random, but i saw you mentioned in the tags of a poll that you've read some really cool second person works?

i've never seen one in the wild but that sounds incredible.... can i ask what the series you read were?

hi!!! absolutely!!

the series are The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin and The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir. you've PROBABLY heard of both of them if you've spent time in the sci-fi/fantasy space in the last ten or so years, and at least for me, they really are just as good as if not better than the hype around them.

a little disclaimer though: in both cases, the 2nd person narration is only in one book (at least, so far. the final locked tomb book isn't out yet), with it being in Broken Earth 1 (The Fifth Season) and Locked Tomb 2 (Harrow The Ninth)

Broken Earth is the story of an apocalypse in a fantasy world where some few people have the power to manipulate the earth - like when they're upset, an earthquake may happen if they don't have incredible control over themselves. these people are called Orogenes, they're oppressed, and our main narrators are all Orogenes of different ages. it's a wonderfully dark, emotional story, and I would not recommend reading it if you're especially triggered or uncomfortable with child death/abuse without properly preparing yourself first. absolute S tier work, it won the Hugo three years in a row for a reason.

The Locked Tomb is one you've probably seen pitched as lesbian necromancers in space, but that doesn't begin to cover it. the first book is really more of a competition-for-a-seat-on-the-council type thing that becomes a locked room murder mystery, the solution to which spirals out of control and into the rest of the series. the lesbians are all in extremely, extremely toxic relationships, which I know has been triggering for some people, as well as just. So Much body horror. but another S tier read for me, i cannot wait for alecto the ninth

i BELIEVE ive also read a couple of 2nd person narrators in the Never Whistle At Night anthology so far, but im not 100%. im taking that one slow as it's my first foray into horror in a while.

[kuutamosonaatti]

Ruhnu, Estonia (1934)

[crabussy]

UPDATE. SOMEONE POINTED OUT THAT ONE OF THE CATS LOOKS AT THE PERSON BEHIND THE CAMERA. THEY LOVED EACH OTHER AND THEY WERE LOVED BY SOMEONE SO MUCH THAT THIS PERSON PRESERVED THEM ON FILM. THEY'RE ALL LONG GONE NOW BUT THE ACT OF LOVE REMAINS. I AM SICK TO MY STOMAAAACH. you can't undo love. I'm going to lie down now

[wintersoldierfell]

you've heard of death of the author, now get ready for death of the audience: where instead of basing your reaction on a thousand uninformed opinions online, you actually read the text and engage with it

[wintersoldierfell]

girl help there's people on this post who can't actually read my text

[taurzza]

[taciturn-nerd]

Hair and Freedom

The fact that Valancy's family forced her to only do her hair a certain way, really shows the control they exercised over her and the total lack of freedom she had over her own body. She was twenty-nine for crying out loud! She should be able to choose her own hairdo! The fact that her mother wrote her out of the family Bible after Valancy got the shingled haircut is crazy.

I could relate because even though my mom was not abusive or all that strict, I realized the level of control she still expected to have over me when she visited me (a grown adult woman) in my home and told me to tie my hair up because I looked tired with it down. I tied it up immediately, only realizing later that I didn't have to comply. I could have said, "No, I like it down."

I always wanted long hair (blame it on the Disney princesses I guess), but my mom never let me grow it that long. To be fair, she would have been the one to do all the washing and maintenance when I was little so it was understandable. Now that I'm an adult, I love growing it long, despite dealing with split ends and the whole ordeal of washing and drying it. I grow it out as long as I want and cut it when I want. I only tie my hair up when I'm doing something that requires my hair to be out of my face, because I don't like how it looks when it's tied up. And I never made the connection until reading The Blue Castle just how significant it is when you finally have a say over your own hair.

[study-bloom]

there's nothing like a bright new day & getting some work done