storiesinthevoid

new writer trying to connect - loves everything obscure - traveling enthusiast - University student - she/her - say hi!

[architects-archive]

obsessed with this photo series about trans love by photographer landyn pan (source)

[ancestorswatching]

In many cultures, ethnic groups, and nations around the world, hair is considered a source of power and prestige. African people brought these traditions and beliefs to the Americas and passed them down through the generations.

In my mother’s family (Black Americans from rural South Carolina) the women don’t cut their hair off unless absolutely necessary (i.e damage or routine trimming). Long hair is considered a symbol of beauty and power; my mother often told me that our hair holds our strength and power. Though my mother’s family has been American born for several generations, it is fascinating to see the beliefs and traditions of our African ancestors passed down. We are emotionally and spiritually attached to our hair, cutting it only with the knowledge that we are starting completely clean and removing stagnant energy.

Couple this with the forced removal and covering of our hair from the times of slavery and onward, and you can see why so many Black women and men alike take such pride and care in their natural hair and love to adorn our heads with wigs, weaves, braids, twists, accessories, and sharp designs.

Hair is not just hair in African diaspora cultures, and this is why the appropriation and stigma surrounding our hair is so harmful.

[dallonm-archive]

[image description: three monstera leaves. The leaves and wall are tinted purple by string lights behind the plant. In the middle, in a white serif font and all caps, reads “LIFE CYCLE OF MASSIVE STARS”. At the bottom, in the same font but smaller, reads “update #1″ /end id]

LIFE CYCLE OF MASSIVE STARS | UPDATE #1

Before I start, this is an autistic OwnVoices novel and it’s Autism Acceptance Month! Remember that awareness is passive and acceptance is active. And whilst this book is autistic OwnVoices I want to stress that it doesn’t cover the full autistic experience; autism is so individualistic and  this story only stems from my experience. Make sure you to listen to all autistics, not just those who can speak and live independently and present in a way that suits neurotypical society. Support autistic creatives and if you’re also a creative, include autistic characters in your work! Autism is not a disease. It does not need to be cured. 

Hey y’all! This has sure been a week! I gave myself the goal of 15,000 words for Camp Nano and somehow hit that in 5 days? I have literally never written at that pace before so I’m a little shocked lol. I don’t intend to keep that pace but the momentum has made drafting very fun and? drafting this has been a literal dream. I was really worried because March was a month long slump I expected to carry into April. I want to disclaim that I’m currently out of school and work because of the pandemic so I have all the free time to write and that definitely contributed! But also as a neurodivergent and disabled writer, free time does not always equal writing, so to know that I am capable of writing like this, even if not always, it is Such a gamechanger. Also this story makes me miss University so much I actually can’t take it :( 

LCOMS has been a dream so far because the protagonists are all characters I’ve had for 5-8 years, and | spent those years struggling to figure out their stories. Even when I settled on this story, originally Patchwork, there was like 4 versions of it before I landed on this - none ever drafted beyond a couple thousand words because they just Never Worked. But the wait was worth it because holy shit I feel like I struck gold. This story feels so me, it’s so much fun to write, and I don’t think a story has come to me this easy before. It’s given me such a zest for storytelling again that I didn’t realise was missing. I’m slowing things down now because creative boundaries and self care >>>>, but I just passed 19k words - though some of the chapters are very unfinished because my priority has been mapping out the story’s skeleton as far as I can, then filling in the gaps based off what I learnt. I wanna put a passage before the cut so it’s not just me rambling about bullshit and no content, but it’s hard to pick just one, so here’s a non-linear scene that I :) cannot elaborate on :)

(CW: alcohol)

[image description: the side of a ferris wheel against black sky. The wheel is lit white, but at the bottom it’s coloured a mix of pink, blue and green. At the top, in a white serif font, reads “The ferris wheel lights blur between turquoise, magenta, mint, lavender, casts the puddles into technicolour. “ /end id]

Picture this: December 17th. End of term. End of year. Cloudless night, stars winking. Fargate glows, market stalls lit by yellow fairy lights line the street like candle stubs, gently burning. It’s raining. It has all day. Dampened your new beanie and scarf but you’re not mad, even if you’ll cringe at the texture when you take them off later. The ferris wheel lights blur between turquoise, magenta, mint, lavender, casts the puddles into technicolour. Your eyes and feet ache, but you’re not mad. And the mulled wine that buzzed warm in your bloodstream now coils in your stomach, but you’re not mad. You’re queuing for the technicolour wheel, even though you know it’ll be underwhelming and a waste of £4, but you’re not mad. Chocolate is usually too sweet for you, but he bought a pack of snowflake shaped ones - each carved with their own design - and when he passes the paper bag over you don’t say no. They taste like raspberry. He grins at you.

I have once again written a long update because I am autistic and have no self control; more excerpts and chapter-by-chapter rambles are as usual under the cut!

(content warnings are specific to the respective excerpt, but as a general warning there’s a lot of alcohol mentions!)

Keep reading

[dallonm-archive]

lcoms taglist - ask to be added or removed! ; @isherwoodj @ryns-ramblings @kitblogsthings @aetherwrites @radiomacbeth @bijouxs @aphaimaniis @writerlywonders @haldimilks @piyawrites @alicewestwater @svpphicwrites @coffeeandcalligraphy @spencers-tomes @shaelinwrites

[emmaharwoods]

the french senate has voted so that no girl below the age of 18 can wear hijab or niqab in public and that no hijab-wearing muslim mothers can accompany children on school field trips. furthermore, the french government is moving to ban halal slaughter of poultry by july 2021 on the grounds this method of slaughter has been deemed “less humane” than standard french practice.

primarily white “feminists” who otherwise advocate for the bodily autonomy have either been silent or explicitly supported the first piece of legislation. here is a change.org petition created to oppose the hijab/niqab ban. as a reminder, when you go to sign, do not select the option to donate: none of the funds go to the cause. when you’re signing, use numbers from 75001 to 75021 (french zip codes) because international/fake zip codes will invalidate your signature (via zhongsliang on twitter).

i’ll be adding more information/links as i get them so please check the original post for the latest updates!

edit 1:  if you’re using one of the above zipcodes, enter paris when prompted for your city (via varonasdarling on twitter).

[maxgrayarchived]

8, 162 and 172 please!

8. Who has the worst luck?

Probably either Eli or Shae? But part of that is their personalities. Eli’s very pessimistic, and Shae is just plain easy to be taken advantage of. 

162. Has your character ever thrown a tantrum over things not going their way?

Eli, Yuki, Shae: Probably not 

Valerie, Liza, Alfie: Maybe 

Aimee: Definitely 

172: Do any of your characters hold a grudge against someone?

Elijah’s abandoned by his parents at the beginning of the apocalypse, and he definitely holds a grudge against them for that. Same with Liza. Aimee holds a grudge against the whole party for something that happens in the story. 

thanks so much for the asks! 

[whelvenwings]

I literally don’t get people who complain that other people are just projecting onto characters like “you’re just using that character to explore and actualise yourself” well done james that’s what stories have been for for centuries what the fuck is your point

[thebloggerbloggerfun]

[dallonm-archive]

NOCTURNE (FOR THE HOLY) | WIP INTRO

[image description: a street at night during a snowstorm, tinted blue with blurred red and white lights from cars and streetlamps in the background. the pavement and road is covered by snow. to the left, a person walks in the snow with their back to the camera. in the centre, in a white serif font, reads ‘NOCTURNE’. below, in brackets and also in a white serif font reads ‘(for the holy)’. /end id]

Genre: literary adult, queer romance Setting: a city in the UK (I’m getting Manchester vibes), early or mid 2010s POV: first person direct/referral, past tense The Vibes: frost in the early morning, cold wind against your skin, sweater with the wool unravelling, rain on a window, city skyline, dark mornings, music on the other side of the wall, escaping the city for the country, ghosts that don’t exist,   Deals with: family + religious trauma and all its complications, grief, class divide, love vs obsession, isolation, the intersection of being queer and neurodivergent, gender crisis 101 Content warnings: suicide, religion, addiction, mental illness, trauma 

[image description: a transparent half moon against a dark blue sky. on either sides of the image are two trees - the one on the left has leaves, the one on the right is just branches. in the middle, in a white serif font, reads “synopsis / inspo” /end id.]

“Actually, you said Love, for you, is larger than the usual romantic love. It’s like a religion. It’s terrifying.” (Richard Siken)

When Nora finally estranges herself from her family, she expected to feel total freedom: not trapped in a 3 bedroom flat after her housemates have gone home for the holidays. In an attempt to break from the tangled emotions that come with trauma recovery, she puts her everything into her MSc and library all-nighters become routine – as do smokes at 5am with the girl that lives in the flat below. And then dinner dates with the girl that lives in the flat below. And then weekend walks with the girl that lives in the flat below. And then every free moment with the girl that lives in the flat below. But the more time they spend together, and the more Jack becomes Nora’s anchor, and Nora becomes Jack’s anchor, the more secrets they hide from each other. Falling in love may not be hard work, but staying in love is.

I’ve had this story in my head for a few months now but it was only recently that it all! Finally clicked. I started with an image of a terrace house converted into two separate flats - a downstairs and an upstairs - with the occupier of each talking to each other through their front windows and was like “this HAS to be a sapphic love story”. I was also inspired when I watched a rom com with two low lives ( @svpphicwrites​ + @radiomacbeth​ <3) and we all agreed that these movies would be much better if they were queer. This isn’t a rom com, but it’s certainly a love story that is unashamedly a love story and <3 no homophobia <3 all queer cast <3. Since this is literary and also by me, there is definitely some heavy content alongside that, but just like real life, they co-exist, and that’s what our protagonist has to navigate. Particularly this is inspired by my experiences with Christmas and the holiday season as someone who has family trauma - it’s isolating, confusing and guilt tripping; I hope drafting this will be therapeutic and show a reality for people in similar situations that’s realistic, but also hopeful - and a reminder that biological family is not a necessity to love and be loved. That all being said this novel is still very much in the early stage, and as a discovery writer I have No Idea where it’ll go plot wise! (the exciting part imo!)

My plan is to start this in Camp Nano if I reach my goal for my main Camp wip, Life Cycle of Massive Stars and I have a tentative goal of 5k if I do get to drafting in April. After that, I’m considering drafting this for NaNo 2021, since it’s set in winter and probably way more suited for then lmao. I would like to prioritise it soon though as atm this is the novel I realistically see being published in the future 👁️ (but because of that i’m unsure of how much i’ll share on here!) 

(also feel free to add me on the Nano site!)

[image description: a transparent half moon against a dark blue sky. on either sides of the image are two trees - the one on the left has leaves, the one on the right is just branches. in the middle, in a white serif font, reads “characters” /end id.]

Since this is just an intro, I’ll only introduce the main two girls! 

NORA

she/her

the “i” in the story

autistic 

women in STEM 😍

too good for this world, too pure

very stylish

her first year completely estranged from her family, although their relationship has been strained her whole life

tends to isolate as a coping mechanism 

JACK

she/they

the “you” in the story

ADHD 

doing a masters in the psychology of music

AMAZING chef, dinner at their place is a blessing

childhood was very much tied to the church - now struggling with religious trauma 

confidence as a façade 

That’s all I have to say about this story for now 👁️ but  👁️ exciting things are being Developed  👁️ please let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist!

[flowerais-deactivated20211031]

you’re putting magic into the world with every stitch you make, every painting you create, every note you play, every word you write. everything you create and put out into the world will touch or inspire someone. everything you keep to yourself will be special and personal, like a mosaic piece of yourself that will last forever. all the little things you created into the world will like a museum exhibit of your existence, and your own love letter to the universe.

[pathcend]

[soclonely]

AHHHH  LOVE THAT THEY HAVE BPD

[eggastential-biscuits]

I have three of these

I think

Maybe I have BPD but I can't be sure rn

[krakensdottir]

Oh thank fuck, this is literally the first non-horrible BPD representation I’ve ever seen and it makes me want to cry

[calderonbeta]

Nothing about us without us.  Image description: [pale purple and yellow background with dark text] This April, don’t support an organization that harms autistic people. [crossed out logo for Autism Speaks] Support one built by autistic people, for autistic people. [logos for the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the Autism Women’s Network]

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Reblogging to spread the word, cause evidence shows that Autism $peaks are classic horror movie villains.

[therothwoman]

Reblogging because I’ve always wondered who to support instead of AS.

[1863-project]

To every friend of mine who reblogs this, thank you. It means I can trust you. <3

[windwardstar]

175 OC Questions - Ask Game

1. Does your character have good aim? 2. What would history remember your character for? 3. Does your character prefer to work in silence or with noise and of what kind? 4. Has your character ever been handcuffed or tied up? 5. Can your character cook? 6. Who did your character look up to as a child? 7. Do any of your characters have depression? 8. Who has the worst luck? 9. Could your character win an arm wrestling competition? How well would they do? 10. Would your character give up the chance to come back to life as a god so that someone else could be saved?

11. What is your character’s favorite historical or fairy tale figure? 12. Would your character marry someone their family didn’t approve of? 13. Do/Did any of your characters have large ears they had to grow into as a kid? 14. Are any of your characters nonverbal? 15. Did your character ever want to be a cowboy? 16. How does the way your character present themselves in public differ from how they are in private? 17. How petty is your character? 18. Is your character pro or anti union? 19. Does your character like carrots? 20. How self-confident is your characters?

21. Do any of your characters have heterochromia? 22. Do any of your characters have someone named after them? Or are they named after someone else? 23. Do any of your characters have facial markings? 24. What is your character’s opinions on squirrels? 25. Does your character experience sexism for the job/title they hold? (ie: she’s a girl, she can’t be x,y,z because only boys can be) 26. Are any of your characters missing fingers? 27. Does your character know how to tie different kinds of knots? 28. How much does your character giggle? 29. Are any of your characters nameless? (In that there is no legal record of them existing, they just don’t have names in canon, or history remembers them but not their name?) 30. How independent was your character as a teen?

31. How much does your character care about their appearance? 32. Do you have any characters who are twins? 33. Does your character like math? How good are they at it? 34. Do any of your characters collect sea-shells or wear shell jewelry? 35. Naptime, yes or no? 36. Would your character prefer to sit around and chill or be up and moving and doing something? 37. Did any of your characters have a fever they almost died from as a child? 38. Does your character worry about breaking the rules and getting in trouble? 39. Do any of your characters have the responsibilities of an adult despite being a child, or did they when they were? 40. If a loved one died, how long would they stay in mourning?

41. Do other people around your character dictate their life or do they get to choose for themselves? 42. Did/do any of your characters have an arranged marriage? 43. Do you have any widows/widower characters? 44. Are any of your characters overshadowed by other siblings? Or have parents who clearly have a favorite? (ex: Boromir and Faramir) 45. Would your character kill someone to get what they want? 46. Does your character prefer to lead or follow? 47. Has your character ever stolen anything? 48. Are any of your characters apprentices? 49. Are any of your characters certified Bird Nerds ™? 50. Are any of your characters Good Dads ™?

51. Do any of your characters have grandparents who are named and living in canon? 52. Would your character prefer to have history know the truth or have many different versions of their life? 53. What if the furthest your character has ever walked in a given stretch of time? 54. Would your character prefer to visit a new city or stay at home? 55. Do you have any characters who despite trying their best ended up being horrible parents? 56. Do any of your characters have step-family? 57. Do any of your characters consistently wear hats? 58. Does your character prefer the ocean or the mountains? 59. What kinds of things does your character use as paperweights? 60. If faced with certain death, would your character continue to speak out against injustice?

61. Have any of your characters struggled with addiction? 62. Have any of your characters adopted anyone? 63. How far would your character go to help those in need? 64. Do your characters know any old blind swordsmen per the trope? 65. Is your characters energetic? 66. How much of a disappointment/scandal to their family is your character? 67. Would your character be willing to do something they consider morally wrong in order to achieve their goals? 68. Are any of your characters intimidatingly beautiful? 69. Has your character ever found themselves in with the wrong crowd and had to attempt to break from it? 70.  Does your character have any guarded/secret guild knowledge or family recipe?

71. How good is your character at reading people and navigating social situations? 72. Would your character care for someone who needed it if it meant being ostracized from their society? 73. Has your character been to/ ever explored any ruins? 74.  Are any of your characters associated with flowers? 75: Do any of your characters wear glasses, sunglasses, goggles, or monocles? 76: Would your character like to live on a farm and raise sheep? 77. Have any of your characters had to kill a friend? 78. Have any of your characters been exiled from their society? 79. What is a humanizing thing about a villain/antagonist/generally horrible person character that you have? 80. Was your character ever considered shy?

81. Does your character look like what others think they should from their reputation? 82. Describe your character’s handwriting. 83. Did/do any of your characters start a dynasty? 84. Do any of your characters have gaps in their teeth or are missing teeth? 85. Has your character ever been led down the wrong path because of their anger? 86. Is your character’s fear reaction to fight, flight, or freeze? 87. What are your character’s nails like? 88. Are any of your characters part of a spy network? 89. Would your character throw themselves in harms way to protect a loved one? 90. Can your character start a campfire?

91. Does your character engage in gossip? 92. Have any of your characters started and/or led a revolution? 93. Do you have any characters that are stuffed animals? Or characters who have them? 94. Are any of your characters mechanics? 95. If given total rule over a country, would your character step aside to turn it into a democracy? 96. Which character is The Proudest ™ of their kids? 97. Do any of your characters have a tendency to dislocate joints? 98. Has your character ever had to question their beliefs and realized they were wrong? 99. Do any of your characters have social anxiety? 100. Are any of your characters queer?

101. Which character is The Most dramatic? 102. Are any of your characters d/Deaf or HoH? 102. What is your character’s greatest source of guilt? 103. How well does your character deal with their anger? 104. Do any of your characters have pottery as a hobby? 105. Favorite winter activity? 106. Do any of your characters have noticeable acne? 107. Do any of your characters feel confined by their lives and the expectations placed upon them? 108. Are any of your characters dogs? 109. Would your character blackmail a god? 110. What color is associated with your character?

111. Do any of your characters have dogs for pets? 112. Does your character believe in wishing fountains and shooting stars? 113. Would your character commit treason if the law was wrong? 114. Do any of your characters insist on going by their fullname rather than a nickname? 115. Do any of your characters have an honorary father figure? 116. Have any of your characters (almost) drowned? 117. Could your character build a house or possess the knowledge to build one? 118. Have any of your characters come from a position of privilege that they’ve never had to examine? 119. If someone made a statue of your character, what would it look like? 120. Do any of your characters have PTSD?

121. Do any of your characters have prosthetics? 122. What is your character’s greatest secret? 123. Did any of you characters have nannies or governesses growing up? 124. Does your character workout? 125. Who is your token cis, straight, (optional: white) male? 126. Are any of your characters on good terms/still friends with an ex? 127. Has anyone ever stolen your character’s identity or impersonated them? 128. Has your character’s home ever been destroyed? 129. Has your character ever had to compromise on what they thought was right in order to maintain peace? 130. Do you have any characters who are retired?

131. Who is redhaired and has a mustache? 132. Who is the precious cinnamon roll? 133. Have any of your characters ever been caught in a fire or explosion? 134. Has your character ever been alone in a hostile environment and been forced to travel a long way to reach a safety that wasn’t for sure? 135. Would  your character be content to go back to a normal and quiet life after going on an adventure? 136. Has your character ever been forced to deal with the ‘I want to speak to your manager” kind of person? 137. Are any of your characters bipolar? 138. How good is your character with money and accounting? 139. Has your character ever survived a fatal wound? 140. Can your character play an instruments?

141. Who has a weapon collection? 142. Do any of your characters use wheelchairs, transportation devices, or mobility aids? 143. Has your character ever had some part of their culture made illegal? 144. Are any of your characters adventurers by trade? 145. How much first aid and medical knowledge does your character have? 146. Were any of your characters disowned or abandoned by their parents? 147. Do any of your characters have albinism? 148. Do any of your characters have an eating disorder or food contamination phobia? 149: How good is your character at lying? 150. Do any of your characters have to deal with family being concerned more about appearances and reputation than personal wellbeing?

151. Would your character ever go cliff diving? 152: Do you have any characters with the jr. sr. I II or III thing? 153: Do any of your characters embody the spirit of a flapper? (Bonus points for style and or lifestyle) 154: How much does your character care about other people respecting their authority? 155: Does your character cut and/or color their hair for any specific reason? 156: Were/Are any of your characters under less pressure and fewer expectations than their siblings? 157: Do any of your characters live on their own? 158: Have any of your characters even been bit by a zombie or rabid animal or otherwise exposed to a deadly pathogen? (Did any of them survive?) 159: Does your character have any tattoos? And are any of them symbolic or significant? 160: Do any of your characters have asthma?

161: Your character’s opinion of pineapple? 162: Has your character ever thrown a tantrum over things not going their way? 163: Are any of your characters autistic? (If so, do they have special interests and what are they?) 164: Are any of your characters tinkerers or inventors? 165: Who is a “girls just wanna have fun” character? 166: Are any of your characters blind or visually impaired? 167: Are any of your characters fat? 168: Is your characters easily embarrassed? 169: Are any of your characters married to the sea? 170: Are any of your characters infamous?

171: Are any of your characters hallmark villains in terms of personality? 172: Do any of your characters hold a grudge against someone? 173: How loyal is your character? 174: Does your character get homesick? 175: Are any of your characters badass (lesbian) pirate queens?

[yvesdot]

oc asks that reveal more than you think

Do they sleep with a stuffed animal? If they have multiple, who’s the favorite?

Can they take care of a plant? What about a pet? What about a child?

Ask them to describe their love interest.

Do they look good in red?

Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Will they give one, and what about?

Who will they take advice from, no matter what it is? Who won’t they take advice from, no matter what it is?

Describe them in three words. Now let them describe themself in three words.

Do complex puzzles intrigue or frustrate them?

Do they empathize with non-sentient things (dolls, plants, books…)?

What age do they most want to be right now?

They’ve won the lottery. Spend, or save?

Do they like romance in the books they read (or in the book they’re in)?

Name one thing their parents taught them.

Would they agree with the term ‘guilty pleasure’? Do they have any?

What would they consider a waste of time– other than school or work?

If money wasn’t a limit, what would they wear?

Do they like children?

Kissing: tongue or no tongue?

Do they study before tests? Practice before job interviews?

What do they like that nobody else does?

What would it take for them to break up with someone? What would be the last straw?

Do they like being called pet names? Do they call other people pet names? What’s their go-to?

Stability or novelty?

Honesty or charity?

Safety or possibility?

Talent or effort?

Forgiveness or vengeance (or…)?

Would they date a fixer-upper?

What recurring dreams do they have?

What would they do if they knew it would be forgiven?

[kermitlesbian]

damn she just eviscerated everyone on this website

[sizvideos]

[bluegrasskitty]

This is so awkward. XD

[writing-and-nutmeg]

Me: *needs motivation to work on my current WIP*

My dumbass brain:

[queersona]

"i was a transtrender" no you werent. you were just questioning your identity and then you decided that wasn't for you. that's a fucking healthy thing to do. fuck off lmao

[queersona]

Questioning is:

-healthy

-common

-normal

Questioning isn't:

-an excuse to be transphobic towards often young individuals

[queeranarchism]

I once thought I was asexual and it turned out I actually wasn’t ready to have sex before I had transitioned to a point where I was more comfortable with my body. 

And in that time, the asexual community welcomed me, supported me, helped me feel good about who I was, protected me from the harm I would have done to myself if I had pushed myself to have sex. That made a huge difference.

If I see an opportunity to support asexual organizations, I do so not just because it’s good but also because they were there for me in a difficult part of my life without judgement. I owe them for that.

If you at one point identified as transgender or questioned your gender identity, maybe you too sought a home in the wrong place because you were struggling with something else. And it is very likely that the people in that home, the transgender community, believed you and welcomed you and listened to you.

And then when it turns out that you were searching for the wrong thing, you don’t just leave that community behind but you turn around and shit on them? Shame on you. What a shitty thing to do.

[sundaynightnovels]

BETA READERS CALL

Look, I know. I haven’t been active on here in a while and some of you might not even remember me, and that’s fine! I’ve been busy (I now have a writing-dedicated IG account! and Twitter! Can you believe???) and so have all of you. But you gotta hear this one out. If some of you still remember, I have this little wip called Like All Things Out Of Season. It’s been through a few drafts, I’ve actually done some light querying for it, but I figured it’s about time for more people to read it and so.

I’m looking for beta readers!

A quick twitter pitch:

Life sure is great when you’re no longer alone. Except you’re dead. And so is everyone else. And without your (very) rusty social skills to the rescue, they might be trapped in this limbo forever. Death sure is great. 

It takes place in a fantastical interpretation of the afterlife (not based on any mythology), and features an all-Asian cast! Intrigued? Here’s more details:

Keep reading