david o david, what colour do you bleed?

moving day ! find me @ circees

[ivyburied]

portrait of a girl as longing, girl as home rendered in light, girl with a citrus mouth & sunscape hands. heartbreak girl / heartache girl. melodrama in three acts, meaning tragedy is the last one. 

see the drowned light pouring onto our hands? see me, foxglove at my mouth? we are both kneeling begging for forgiveness & absolution is an ochre-colored word / there’s never enough of it to turn to gold. rome crashes against the curve of your back. all roads lead back to you. 

& she says, there is a world where angels are made of sunrise & something ruinous. let me take you home. let me fold pages of history above our heads so we can search for something greater in them. you know i would have loved you in a past life.

—occhiolism | originally published in rose quartz magazine | e.k.

[sxnrising]

-- writeblr intro ! (part two electric boogaloo)

hello everyone! you may or may not remember me, i was last active here maybe like a year ago haha. my name is solaine! i’m a chinese-american writer who mostly writes a lot of fanfiction, but i’ve been looking to get back into the original story writeblr community because i really did enjoy it here :) 

i’m not too good with long stories, be it fanfiction or an original piece, so when i do write fic, i mostly write a lot of oneshots. it just recently occurred to me that i could do that with original pieces too - short stories, vignettes as i like to do. so i’m back! happy to be here, would love to make a few new friends while i’m at it :D 

i’m not sure how active i’ll be, given as i mostly operate out of twitter nowadays (it used to terrify me, still does! coming back to tumblr feels like a warm hug) but i’m excited to be here at least some of the time anyways :)

[sxnrising]

this one’s a shout-out to that one person who messaged me after they had a long hiatus from tumblr to ask abt being on my taglist even though I rarely posted and posted actual writing even less and was also mid-long hiatus. kind stranger, I write for you and you alone

[leftover-starlight]

to cast a shadow

a wip introduction

“Today, on the 216th anniversary of the Apollo mission to the moon, we say farewell and good luck to six of this planet’s most well-known astronauts, courageous sailors of the stars. Led by the decorated Captain Moonson, this legendary team will venture where no one has dared go before, past every planet in our humble solar system. They will represent humanity’s first attempt at true contact with the stars. Stay tuned, and stay watching; their initial launch and subsequent mission reports home will be broadcasted here, live, on Channel 42.”

SUMMARY

the stars have been humanity’s goal, the object of their daydreams, the soul of their endeavors, for hundreds of years. now, after the creation and hypothetical success of long-distance space travel, the International Space Corps, often referred to simply as The Corps, is sending out humanity’s first attempt at contact with the stars: a team of six highly-trained, highly-capable astronauts in a vessel christened the hopes.

well aware of the journey they’re facing, with humanity’s hopes—the very same that inspired their ship’s name—riding on their shoulders, the team sets off into uncharted space. first contact with an alien race is bound to be a bit different than what they’re expecting, but what they end up encountering is a shock not just to them, but to the whole world.

genre: sci-fi

status: outlining + drafting

pov: first person peripheral

setting: space-exploration vessel in previously uncharted regions of outer space, broadcast station on earth

features: found family, space travel/exploration, ~the future~, everyone is queer, first alien contact/conflict

there is no taglist for this wip yet, but please lmk (via reblog, notes, dm, or an ask) if you’d like to be added!

[leftover-starlight]

in an attempt to get this off the ground, tagging a couple mutuals (no obligations, as always <3): @sxnrising @herondalelucies @semblanche @bulletgirl @mshelleys @ofstcrlights @emdrabbles

[callmeweeeh]

@marewriteblr @semblanche @haldimilks @eb-reign @sprigofbasil @mdnightskies @sxnrising @quenvicky @tsainami @nmcwriting @mahalii

yes, this is a callout-post for you to tag me in your writing pls bc i have been gone from this site for too long and hence faded from most taglists

yes, idk if i’ll disappear into the void again after posting this but i’d really love to have the opportunity to check out your awesome excerpts and silently fangirling over them from time to time

yes, of course you only have to tag me if you want to and are okay with never hearing from me bc being on this site can be quite overwhelming for me sometimes

yes, i know that i’m approaching you with no shame even though we’ve barely interacted before, but once tumblr thinks you’re dead there’s no need to worry about reputation anymore. hope y’all have a nice day :)

[sxnrising]

no but I also disappeared into the void 😭 I’m rlly happy u thought of me tho :>

[sassenachsansa-deactivated20201]

The narrative of ‘this person was disabled but their disability was cured as part of their story’ is ableist

[kipplekipple]

The narrative of ‘this person is disabled but “overcame” disability in order for them to be a hero’ (e.g. a paralysed person finding a way to walk) is ableist

[explorerrowan]

And just for clarification for the non-disabled, using adaptive technologies, like prostheses or whatever, is not ableist as long as you never forget. Ask yourself questions about the benefits but also the limitations of whatever adaptive thing you’re giving the character.

They have to take a pill every day to treat a chronic illness or chronic pain? Okay, what happens when they forget, or are in a bad situation and run out of pills?

They lost a limb or are paralyzed and now they have a sci-fi cybernetic prosthesis/exoskeleton to replace the lost functionality? Cool. What does maintenance look like? Does it ever malfunction? What happens if they don’t or can’t take care of it? Do they still get phantom pains even with the adaptation?

They’re deaf or blind or anosmic, but they’re a wizard who uses magic to adapt to the lost sense? Fine. What does it take to maintain that magic? Do they have adaptive strategies for when the magic fails?

They’re autistic or have ADHD or schizophrenia or some other cognitive disorder, and they have a chip in their head to make it easier to communicate when non-verbal? Okay. What exactly does it do for them? Does it ever malfunction or give them headaches? What are other ways they’ve adapted to their disability apart from this chip?

Other questions to ask that go for all kinds of things:

Do they have a service animal? For what tasks or situations is it trained?

Do their family/friends know how to help if their adaptive technologies/strategies fail?

Is their disability (or the adaptation) visible or observable to others? How do others react?

Has their society adapted to accommodate disabilities, and if so, in what ways? (Ramps, closed captions, sign language, etc.)

Basically, think about what it adds to the story to have your character disabled. If you were just going to completely cure it with no ongoing repercussions or adaptations, why did you bother making them disabled in the first place? What story were you telling?

[angiethewitch]

really good addition

[essekknits]

Not to be disrespectful, I genuinely want to know: I heard more than a few disabled people talking about how for them a fantasy world where the disabled character is cured of their disability/chronic pain is wish fulfilment and something they want written and also write. Where does the line go? Like, I’m autistic, and I wouldn’t want a story with a character being “cured” of autism cause that would feel ableist and icky. But I can understand why a person with say chronic pain would want a world where the character gets cured of their chronic pain.

[ruffboi-mags]

I think personally (as a person who is both neurodivergent and has painful physical disability) it’s about how it’s approached. Is the person who’s in pain cured of their pain because they’re ~broken~, or because they’re suffering and this is an attempt to reduce or remove their pain? Is their disability something that can be accommodated for and give them good quality of life, or is it just something that is physically draining and no amount of accommodation will truly improve the situation because they’re in pain?

It’s the difference from the first (I think?) X-Men movie, when Rogue bursts into Professor X’s office excitedly asking if it’s true that someone’s found a way to cure them, and Storm replies with “no, they can’t, because there’s nothing wrong with us.”

Storm has weather powers but could live a completely normal and fulfilling life as a mutant if mutants were accepted socially. With accommodation and social acceptance, Storm would not be significantly negatively impacted by her mutation.

on the flip side, Rogue kills people who touch her bare skin and could never live a completely normal life due to needing precautions to avoid accidentally killing people, and will also always have to live with the stress and anxiety of knowing she could kill someone if she’s not careful enough. Even if mutants were fully accepted socially, she would be significantly negatively impacted by her mutation.

So no, STORM doesn’t need to be “cured” and it would be shitty to suggest she does, but it’s understandable and even reasonable for ROGUE to desire and get a cure, even if that cure is not removing her mutation but at least removing the worst parts of it (like how she had no control over the killing-by-touch part).

I don’t want to be “cured” of autism or even (though it can be a pain in my ass) ADHD. I would take any suggestion I should be  “cured”  of these things very personally as offensive. I know a lot of people who are physically disabled (blind, deaf, amputee, just to name a few) don’t feel like they need to be “cured” or “fixed”. It’s deeply ableist to assume that someone with ADHD or who is Deaf can only have a fulfilling life if they are no longer those things.

On the other hand, I have severe chronic joint pain. I would give anything to be cured of that, because all it’s doing is hurting me an lowering my quality of life. No accommodations would actually improve that. I would still be in pain, I just might be in slightly less pain, and frankly, fuck that, I want to be in no pain.

So, no, disability or neurodivergence being assumed to need curing/being cured is not actually 100% either way, but by and large “things that can be accommodated for to allow for a full and happy life” are the ones you absolutely do NOT want to go around curing willy-nilly in fiction.

That being said, there is also something to be said for having representation as someone with chronic pain and fatigue, of someone who suffers too but still gets through the day, and doesn’t have it magically fixed. THAT is all up to the story you’e been telling and the tone you want to develop, imo, but I couldn’t tell you how to get there.

TL;DR: It’s actually not fully black or white, but generally if it’s something that can be accommodated for to relieve the burden on the disabled person, don’t cure it. If it’s something like chronic pain or fatigue, which are just. 100% miserable even when “accommodated for”, then it’s not an automatic “don’t do it”, but consider the story you’re telling with that potential either way.

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

I’ve been puzzling through a “Bechdel-Style Test” for Disability Representation for a while, now. And I think I finally pinned it down this right around NaNoWriMo (yay! one accomplishment for 2020).

And this is what I’ve come up with (with reasons for each point:

1) There’s a Disabled character

Just one necessary, ‘cause a lot of Abled writers like to stick us in flocks of (what they perceive as) “our own kind,” and a lot of disabled people are the only ones in their immediate family or (mainstream) classroom.

2) Who wants something for themselves

Rather than being an “inspiration” for an abled person, or the proverbial cat to be rescued in a “save the cat” scenario, to prove the hero’s goodness.

3) Besides Revenge, Cure, or Death,

In other words, the thing they want is not defined by their disability.

4) And tries to get it.

Again, they’re not the cat to be saved, but the protagonist in their own story – even when they’re a side character in a larger book or movie, or TV show. For example: if you have a disabled side character in your story, that’s okay, but if you decided to switch perspectives, and make them your P.O.V. character, would they still have agency and something to do, or would they be passive plot devices?

———-

I’ve decided to call it the 1,001 Problems Test, because that’s really the key for me.

What makes a “Cure Narrative” (vs. a story with a cure in it) ableist is that in a “Cure Narrative,” the character’s entire story arc hangs on the state of their disability at the end, and nothing else about them matters. Are they still disabled at the end? Then it’s a tragedy. Are they cured? Then it’s a happy ending (even if they die, it’s often framed as a happy ending, because at least they’re not disabled, anymore).

And as we’re talking about cure as a wish-fulfillment narrative, I’d like to point out that my third point says “besides cure,” not “instead of cure.” It’s fine if your protagonist wants a cure for their chronic pain, or “accidentally-killing people” condition. But give them something else to want, too – like falling in love, or being an architect, or figuring out how to save the world from a giant, star-eating Space Dragon, or, or, or…

If the only problem you can imagine your disabled character wants to solve is disability, then you’re ableist. You are revealing the fact that you can’t imagine disabled people as complete, fully formed humans, who live real lives.

[mapsontheweb]

How Americans refer to their bros.

[copperbadge]

#why is new england a wasteland on this map

Because you can’t put “asshole” in a family-friendly infographic.

[saltoftheao3]

*furiously takes notes*

[thecaffeinebookwarrior-deactiva]

Resources For Writing Deaf, Mute, or Blind Characters

Despite the fact that I am not deaf, mute, or blind myself, one of the most common questions I receive is how to portray characters with these disabilities in fiction.

As such, I’ve compiled the resources I’ve accumulated (from real life deaf, mute, or blind people) into a handy masterlist.

Deaf Characters:

Deaf characters masterpost

Deaf dialogue thread

Dialogue with signing characters (also applies to mute characters.)

A deaf author’s advice on deaf characters

Dialogue between deaf characters

Mute Characters

Life as a Mute

My Silent Summer:  Life as a Mute

What It’s Like Being Mute

21 People Reveal What It’s Really Like To Be Mute

I am a 20 year old Mute, ask me anything at all!

Blind Characters:

The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters.

@referenceforwriters masterpost of resources for writing/playing blind characters.

The youtube channel of the wonderful Tommy Edison, a man blind from birth with great insight into the depiction of blind people and their lives.

An Absolute Write thread on the depiction of blind characters, with lots of different viewpoints and some great tips.

And finally, this short, handy masterpost of resources for writing blind characters.

Characters Who Are Blind in One Eye

4 Ways Life Looks Shockingly Different With One Eye

Learning to Live With One Eye

Adapting to the Loss of an Eye

Adapting to Eye Loss and Monocular Vision

Monocular Depth Perception

Deaf-Blind Characters

What Is It Like To Be Deafblind?

Going Deaf and Blind in a City of Noise and Lights

Deaf and Blind by 30

Sarita is Blind, Deaf, and Employed (video)

Born Deaf and Blind, This Eritrean American Graduated Harvard Law School (video)

A Day of a Deaf Blind Person

Lesser Known Things About Being Deafblind

How the Deaf-Blind Communicate

Early Interactions With Children Who Are Deaf-Blind

Raising a DeafBlind Baby

If you have any more resources to add, let me know!  I’ll be adding to this post as I find more resources.

I hope this helps, and happy writing!  <3

[thecaffeinebookwarrior-deactiva]

Updated with more resources, specifically for characters who are blind in one eye.

[maxkirin]

So, let me guess– you just started a new book, right? And you’re stumped. You have no idea how much an AK47 goes for nowadays. I get ya, cousin. Tough world we live in. A writer’s gotta know, but them NSA hounds are after ya 24/7. I know, cousin, I know. If there was only a way to find out all of this rather edgy information without getting yourself in trouble…

You’re in luck, cousin. I have just the thing for ya.

It’s called Havocscope. It’s got information and prices for all sorts of edgy information. Ever wondered how much cocaine costs by the gram, or how much a kidney sells for, or (worst of all) how much it costs to hire an assassin?

I got your back, cousin. Just head over to Havocscope.

((PS: In case you’re wondering, Havocscope is a database full of information regarding the criminal underworld. The information you will find there has been taken from newspapers and police reports. It’s perfectly legal, no need to worry about the NSA hounds, cousin ;p))

Want more writerly content? Follow maxkirin.tumblr.com!

[writing-prompt-s]

Assassins

“Below are selected prices that are paid to professional assassins by criminal organizations and drug cartels for a contract hit.

In Australia, the median price to hire a hit man is $13,610 (9,800 Euros), with the price going up to $83,000 (60,000 Euros) based on the task.

In Mexico, the cost for a low level assassin is $208 (150 Euros), and up to $20,832 (15,000 Euros) for a higher profile target like a police chief.

The prices paid in Argentina are between $3,749 (2,700 Euros) to $5,555 (4,000 Euros) per hit.

Government statistics in Spain state that 40 assassinations take place each year, with prices for the hit ranging between $27 (20 Euros) to $69,000 (50,000 Euros).”

So cheap! I always thought things like this would cost more than $1 million…

[writer-wannabe-needs-inspiration]

This is super useful to know!

[writing-prompt-s]

and not just for writing!!

[ladybugseatppl]

@katherine-rose

[katherine-rose]

HOLY FUCK

HOW MANY HOURS HAVE I WASTED TRYING TO FIND HEROIN PRICES ON THE INTERNET WHAT A GREAT DATABASE

[midnight-spectrum-again]

I needed this

[rheevalka]

Actually useful. Sometimes incognito isn’t enough.

[semblanche]

ask to be added/removed from tag list.

TERRAS TOWN: 4/10

name — nico “neeks”

traits — confident, bitter, sly

background — born to a mother with the same powers as him (see below) but corrupted by them to no returns point, neeks is determined to never follow suit. he’s mastered his magic as much as he can, and even uses it to his benefit to support him and his younger stepbrother four leaf - posing as offering one kind of service, in order to glean a very different result. working the corner takes a different meaning with neeks - where people go to him expecting control over his body, they leave with his control over their mind. a memory of something that didn’t happen... and neeks’s pockets all the heavier for it. it’s not sustainable, what he’s doing, the other twisters whisper. neeks turns a deaf ear. he’s not going to be like his mother - and he’s not going to live in shame.

(alongside this, neeks also relies on the use of a cane ever since his mother lashed out at him with a knife - his knee took the blow, and has been damaged ever since. following his step father’s sheepish suggestion of moving out, neeks took his younger step brother four leaf and booked it.)

skills/magic — neeks is a twister, with his specialty on the human mind. he is able to look into peoples minds and alter them as he sees fit - whether that be making them think their trusted friends are actually enemies in disguise, or swapping a memory for a dream that never took place. it's an incredibly powerful thing to be able to do, but as usual comes with its catch: neeks can't actually do anything unless the person agrees to it, and should they agree, he still runs the risk of losing parts of his own memory (or sanity) in the process, blurring the lines of where he starts and others begin.

excerpt —

He’s lean and pretty, even if Lev hates the second word for finding its way into her mind. His hair is effortlessly tousled, his eyes dark as olive pits. He lounges on the couch with a practiced, almost cat-like quality, fingers tracing the fabric absently. Eve walks by him like he’s not even there.

“You’ll stay upstairs,” she says to Lev. “Third room, to the left. Is that clear?”

“Yeah, pretty sure I can count,” Lev mutters. The boy on the couch laughs lightly, turns over. Lev glances over, but Eve’s gaze remains fixed firmly ahead.

“Good,” she says. “The other doors are locked, If you need anything...” A shrug. “Call for Egg.”

Lev can’t help but bristle at that, a dull flare of annoyance spiking in her chest. The shrugged off certainty in Eve’s words, the way she’d tossed out Egg’s services like they were hers to offer- “What is he, your butler?”

Eve goes to answer, but it’s the boy that speaks up this time. “Don’t overestimate him,” he says, voice light. “At least butlers get paid.” A stretch. “Not too badly, at that.”

“Neeks,” Eve says. She’s still not looking at him, but Lev can see the way her shoulders have tensed, tone turned curt and clipped. Very clearly roped into a conversation she’d rather not be having. “I don’t recall asking for your input.”

“I could change that.” The boy - Neeks - stretches again. Regards them both with cut off curiosity - a cat watching a bird through a window pane. “Well? Aren’t you going to introduce your new pet?”

Lev shoots him a scowl. The malice isn’t directed at her, not exactly, but - still. There’s that word again. Pet.

She answers before Eve has a chance to, eyes narrowing warningly. “Might start small. First introduce my fist to your face, and work from there.”

Neeks just grins. “Ooh. Feisty. And Eve lets you talk like that?” His eyes dart between the two of them, gaze detached, unreadable. Lev readies herself for a fight. “She really must need you.”

[semblanche]

tag list: @at-lxs @carumens @topsides @holotones @emdrabbles @aelenko @viviuyn @you-are-my-neverland @abeanstories @ambigioussynonym @anonymousthewriter2222 @callmeweeeh @writers-lovers @betterloved @sxfik @herondalelucies @sxnrising @elliewritesstories @tywys @saltwaterbells @ccwritesstuff @urbanteeth @scripturient-manipulator @tenacious-scripturient @slothssong @shadowlostinacrowdofpeople @stop-that-llama @twentytwohearts @the-parentheticals @morgan-s-writes @the-starlight-chills @leftoverstarlight @fogtown @eatingjupiter @llesbianwrites @pperegrines @writeblrfantasy @katwritesforfun @nallthatjazz @viawrites-andacts @mouwwie @theoldcity @eb-reign @stonetwins @jadeywrites @american-gothique

[arwenindomiel]

@finweanladiesweek​ day two: Findis and Írimë Lalwen; Everyone in Middle-Earth is Brown [32/?]:

Ayesha and Sadiyah Djwalapersad as Findis and Írimë, Noldorin princesses, guardians of their people

[thewritingumbrellas]

Open up your manuscript.

Search for “there is” or “there was.”

Find all the description or action that starts with “there” and change it.

“There is a strike of lightning” becomes “lightning strikes the sky.”

“There is panic building in his chest” becomes “panic builds in his chest.”

Helps declump the writing

[tcstu]

Excellent advice! I need to do this!

[stirlingwren-archived-deactivat]

DISNEY PLUS TEMPLATES

since i haven’t seen any d+ templates, i decided to make my own! they’re not perfectly accurate but they’re pretty close, feel free to use them! credit is appreciated.

google drive. | example.

[yaangchens]

types of kisses 

i. slow and drawn out kisses. where neither wants to let go. warm and passionate.

ii. goodbye kisses. the realisation and the look in the other’s eyes of letting go. tears running down cheeks and hands ghosting on cheeks.

iii. morning kisses. waking up next to your significant other and pulling them up and capturing their lips to yours.

iv. spirit kisses. light and feathery over the face. small and quick. running out the door after.

v. sudden kisses. in the middle of a sentence. catching the other’s lips and pulling them into your arms.

vi. neck kisses. fluttering down necks to the collar bone. dusting over the breastbone and staying there. 

vii. nose kisses. a small peck. kind and sweet. an adoring look for the other in their eyes.

viii. frustrated kisses. knowing that one has to go. enveloping their arms around the other and holding foreheads together.

[bookishdiplodocus]

The science of flirting

I recently saw a TED talk about the best techniques to flirt with someone. It was presented by Jean Smith, who has studied flirting for decades, and who founded Flirtology. I took notes, because I figured I could use it in my writing. And I’d like to share it with you.

She uses the acronym H.O.T. A.P.E. to teach her checklist of things people do when they flirt:

Humor

Open body language

Touch

Attention

Proximity

Eye contact

So, what does this mean for my (and your) characters?

Humor: You can let your character tease their love interest, and there’s always banter of course, but they can also use a little joke to break the ice if they’ve just met or to get the love interest on their side. Humor doesn’t always have to be verbal (although it may be easier to write), it can also take the form of facial expressions or body language.

Open body language: Don’t cross your character’s arms, don’t hunch their shoulders, don’t stuff their hands in their pockets, don’t turn their upper body away from the love interest.

Touch: You can let your character lightly touch the love interest’s upper arm or elbow after they made a joke, or touch their shoulder or back when they have to walk past behind them if there is not much space. Even a pat on the shoulder (”sure, honey”) or a high five can be flirting in the right situations, especially if your character is not touchy-feely. Normal touching lasting a bit longer than usual (especially combined with eye contact) can be flirting as well. Be careful to stay away from groping and other touching that is not consented. Giving (or even offering) someone an unrequested massage or trailing their fingers through the love interest’s hair or similar things are not flirting, it’s sexual harrassment. Stick with safe body parts to touch.

Attention: On a basic level, it means your character is not paying too much attention to other people or happenings, but only to the love interest. If you’re really interested in someone, they take up all your thoughts. Don’t let your character look around and notice too many things outside of the conversation, because they’re enthralled by the love interest. Also, see eye contact.

Proximity: Don’t stand on the other side of the room, but let your character stay close to the love interest, show up whereever they are, or stand just outside of the border of their personal space. Again, stay away from behavior that would make someone feel uncomfortable.

Eye contact: Perhaps the most well-known sign of flirting. It’s partly to show that the love interest’s got all their attention, but also an extra way to communicate. Let your character follow the love interest with their gaze, let them wink, laugh and wrinkle their eyes, or roll their eyes over something they shared earlier.

Source: The TED talk and H.O.T. A.P.E. are Jean Smith’s. The writing advice is mine.

I hope this was helpful and this inspires you! Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. Now you go write some flirting!

Follow me for more writing advice, or check out my other writing advice here. New topics to write advice about are also always welcome.

Tag list below the cut, a few people I like and admire and of course, you can be too. If you like to be added to or removed from the list, let me know.

Keep reading

[arrthurpendragon]

How about a new game?  Flipped spoilers. Instead of you asking me for spoilers, how about YOU make up spoilers for my story and I’ll respond to what I think of your spoiler.

[crayyola-deactivated20220827]

things you can use in place of cultural monsters

Can’t use golems in your fantasy world because they’re beings that belong to Judaism and you aren’t Jewish? Try using elementals!

Can’t use w*nd*goag in your story because they’re monsters from Native beliefs and you aren’t Native? Try wraiths or forest spirits!

Can’t use Skinwalkers, either? How about changelings, The Thing-type aliens or faeries?

Don’t want to use Christian biblical angels? Try eldritch monstrosities from another world.

Don’t want to namedrop La Llorona, Hachisukisama or the Cupecabrah? How about old-fashioned undead, zombies or ghosts?

Just because certain supernatural beings are only for certain groups, doesn’t mean you have to limit your monsters! There’s plenty of demographic-neutral alternatives to famous creatures that you can use without culturally appropriating or disrespecting people’s beliefs.

[crayyola-deactivated20220827]

ok which popular person rbed this

[dalia1784]

No offense but how is any of that cultural appropriation? That’s like saying you can’t use Krampus in your work of fiction because you’ll offend people who celebrate Christmas.

I mean if you’re gonna use a creature like Wendigo or a Golem, make the effort to do some research about them so you can get a clear idea how they are represented in said culture.

I’m not trying to sound rude (apologies if I do sound it) but saying using certain creatures in your story is cultural appropriation is just absurd. Cause to be fair with proper research it would be nice to have some representation of these creatures in media.

[crayyola-deactivated20220827]

Look I’m not a Native person but I know that w*ndigoag can’t be used by non-Native folks because their beliefs are a closed religion, and I’ve seen plenty of Native folks say that white people shouldn’t talk about them.

I’m not saying that using creatures like that are inherently offensive per say, but its kind of a bad choice to use beings from a religious belief or culture that have already been misinterpreted heavily in media. Chances are, people who make the diluted and incorrect depictions of these monsters probably said the exact same thing.

td;lr like you can, I guess, in some situations but it’d be better not to.

[jewblog]

i’ve said this before on a previous post but:

using golems as your fantasy “monster” is inherently antisemitic.

they’re not only specific to jewish folklore, but they are benevolent. they’re protectors of the jewish people from those intending to harm us.

you can understand the problematic implications here, yes?

[rose-coloured-angel]

I have a question: is it okay to have a golem be a protector in your story, even if you’re not Jewish? Would it be better to have them protect, specifically, a Jewish character and their belongings/allies? Or should someone who is not Jewish omit the idea of a golem entirely from their writing? (I am not trying to start and argument or be malicious, I am just curious. I like getting writing inspiration, but I also like educating myself on these types of things and would like to know if I should abandon the effort to include a golem before even starting). Thank you.

[dreamyblackchild]

In my opinion, I think a golem as a protector/ally for a Jewish character would be a better choice. As long as the golem is not portrayed as a monster or enemy in any way and the story you’re writing is based on Jewish folklore, you can have a golem in your story. 

[penrosesun]

To clarify in a little more detail:

Golem mythology is deeply and intrinsically linked the the concept of Blood Libel.

Blood Libel was the very real historical practice of Christians making up stories about Jews kidnapping and cannibalizing Christian children in order to justify antisemitic genocide. Frequently, Christians even went so far as to plant actual bodies of Christian children in ghettos in order to whip up hate mobs (and often, in order to cover up the child abuse that had actually caused the deaths of the children in question). Many, many, many pogroms and antisemitic genocides were started over accusations of Blood Libel – it’s a real thing that had a real body count. (And as an aside, this is also why you should never draw Jewish people drink blood or eating children – we have a really traumatic history with that accusation.)

The story of the Golem has many variations, and exists in many Jewish cultures, but the basic structure is roughly this:

First, a Christian (sometimes a criminal, sometimes a priest, sometimes just a bigot) attempts to start a Blood Libel by hiding a Christian dead body (often a child he himself killed) in the Jewish quarter. The plot is thankfully discovered, and the villagers, fearful of how close they came to destruction, consult the local rabbi. The rabbi then takes some clay, and using magic, creates a construct with the singular mission of protecting the Jewish people from Blood Libel. In many versions, the Golem is brought to life by the word “Truth” being carved into the clay, because it’s purpose to uncover the truth, ie. to prevent Christians from framing the Jewish community and then committing genocide.

Generally, the fun part of the story happens at this point, after the Golem is brought to life, but before anything important happens. Since it was constructed with only one purpose, Golems are generally hyper-literal and very bad at doing anything other than protecting the Jewish community. People will sometimes try and get the Golem to help with chores, leading to unhelpful and hilarious results when the Golem follows their instructions Amelia Bedelia style. Sometimes, children will try and befriend the Golem, also to hilarious results. Note, however, that the traditional myth DOES NOT include the Golem accidentally harming the children who try to befriend it, or otherwise endangering the community in any way. The Golem’s hijinks are always ultimately harmless, and annoying more than anything. Sometimes the rabbi will even chastise the villagers involved by pointing out that the Golem was made only to be a protector, and if the Golem screwed up their chores, that’s their own fault for treating it like a servant. 

The next part of the story typically deals with an attempted Blood Libel, which the Golem is used to thwart. Someone (frequently the same bad actor from the first part of the story, or sometimes their relative who is looking for revenge) attempts to start another Blood Libel. The Golem typically stops or kills the person responsible.

Sometimes – and this is where things get frequently misunderstood – the Golem grows to a gigantic size and gets out of control, and even violent. HOWEVER, it is important to note that this is always in order to protect the Jewish community. If the Golem is unable to fully prevent the Blood Libel, and if some of the villagers are killed by a Christian mob as a result, it will sometimes grow to a gigantic size and tear up the Christian community that murdered the villagers. If a mob has already gathered outside the ghetto walls, sometimes the Golem will single-handedly fight them all back. Sometimes, if the bad actor in question was a priest who was abusing children and starting a Blood Libel to hide it, the Golem will tear apart the local Church, and burn it to the ground. But always, when the Golem becomes violent, it targets those who were attempting genocide, not those who created it (although sometimes there is collateral damage to the ghetto due to the fight).

Regardless of whether or not the Golem grows gigantic and goes on a rampage, the story typically ends the same: the rabbi who created the Golem will see that its purpose has been fulfilled, and so he will retire it. Typically, this is done by erasing or removing the letters that were used to animate the Golem – if the Golem was animated by the word “truth”, the rabbi removes the first letter so that the Hebrew now reads the word for “death”, and the Golem “dies” by reverting back into a lump of clay. Typically, the rabbi then carries the clay back to the community, and stores it in a secret place so that the Golem can be revived if the community is ever threatened by genocide again.

If you’ve deeply internalized the purpose and meaning of this basic mythological structure, and if you’re thought long and hard about the real historical events that made this myth so appealing and culturally important, then I feel like you can easily use Golems in fantasy, even if you aren’t Jewish. But if any of what I’ve just written here strongly conflicts with your idea of Golems as a fantasy trope, you should consider steering clear. If you are using Golems in your story as monsters which needs to be defeated, you are unwittingly placing your main characters in the role of anti-semites and child abusers who are attempting to commit a genocide. And that should maybe give you some pause.

[catchinghammers]

If you’re going with an artificial humanoid created from non-living material there’s nothing stopping you from literally just calling it a “homunculus,” I’m just saying…

[jenniferrpovey]

Good point.

And if it copies somebody else, it’s a doppelganger.