#literally literary

[memoriesfromthefuture]

The Incomplete Olaf

A haunting tale of ice and dark magic.

Check out my new horror story on medium based on a truly cursed Olaf cutout made by @sutoribenda

[pebblysand]

Weapons

He felt safe in the shop. Blinds drawn, food stocked – he could survive, he knew, and no one would ever find him.

Life organised itself. His days were spent wandering the aisles, watching over rows and rows of food supplies. In the night, he’d live in fear, every noise (every scream) uttered in the dark sending him into a panic. Would someone (something, maybe, whatever they were – they quite liked the dark, those who’d awaken) ever come in? He remembered what his daughter had said, once, almost enthusiastically, in her childish voice, when it all started. It was weeks before they took her away. ‘They’re zombies, Da, aren’t they?’

Now, he’s prepared. Scattered around the shop, always within reach, are all the weapons that he’s been able to find, these past few months. Guns, hunting rifles, knives, daggers, everything to protect himself. That’s just in case they come, so that he’s ready, so that –

They never do come, though. The silence finally dawns, even at night, and one fateful day, the blinds of the shop come up (he has to break the lock, has lost the key) and the sun shines, over the city, torn buildings still standing high next to him as he carries the guns at his belt, the rifle over his shoulder and a dagger hidden under his trousers. He drops them all, all of the weapons, eventually.

There is no use for them. The undead, the people – everyone but him – they’re all gone.

[vrtemis]

My now published piece, “April Showers” explores the anxiety I felt while living with a dysfunctional family and the strange sense of guilt that came after leaving. Feel free to read/engage!

[mina-plutes]

и снова. оно затягивает.

трясина-болото-зыбучие пески.

так что не вздохнуть, не открыть глаза, не попробовать настоящий воздух на вкус. так, что все разговоры сводятся к одному единственному вопросу, который один раз уже разрушил твою жизнь. ведь ты любопытна. "а может будет иначе?" интересно до пятен под веками, когда с силой закрываешь глаза, до следов пальцев на ладонях — ещё чуть-чуть и останутся синяки в виде отпечатков пальцев — до разбитых вдребезги нервов. но ты по-прежнему ищешь этот ответ, который снова тебя убьет.

а ведь те, кто говорил, что это легко, они же врали.

и все страхи сейчас кажутся такими никчёмными, детскими.

будто ты до сих пор не выбралась из песочницы, где пыталась готовить пирожки и куличики, стуча лопаткой по ведерку. ты сейчас этот самый песок — рассыпаешься от одной мысли, что все закончится также. что снова окажешься у разломанного корыта, а золотая рыбка скорее сдохнет, чем исполнит твое заветное желание.

они врали, говоря, что у каждого есть хранитель, что ангелы следят за тобой.

так почему же сейчас кажется, что твой хранитель устал от тебя?

от твоей глупости и никчемности, в которую ты погружается все сильнее и сильнее. замкнутый круг. а может просто желание увидеть, как этот самый хранитель покинет тебя. больше не будет стоять за твоим плечом, излучая теплый свет, родное, незаменимое ничем чувство уверенности. уверенности в том, что даже если мир сойдёт с ума, он будет рядом. чистой воды мазохизм.

оно снова затянет тебя.

трясина-болото-зыбучие пески.

только в этот раз ты точно оставишь там что-то дорогое и нужное. все, что мы любим, имеет свойство нас покидать. вопрос только в том, насколько быстро ты позволишь этому случиться.

[sahaysstupendoussuperpowers]

Passive aggression

Anger was expressed by Bob

[saintkitten]

b r u h

It was a black and hooded head; and hanging there in the midst of so intense a calm, it seemed the Sphynx's in the desert. "Speak, thou vast and venerable head," muttered Ahab, "which, though ungarnished with a beard, yet here and there lookest hoary with mosses; speak, mighty head, and tell us the secret thing that is in thee. Of all divers, thou hast dived the deepest. That head upon which the upper sun now gleams, has moved amid this world's foundations. Where unrecorded names and navies rust, and untold hopes and anchors rot; where in her murderous hold this frigate earth is ballasted with bones of millions of the drowned; there, in that awful water-land, there was thy most familiar home. Thou hast been where bell or diver never went; hast slept by many a sailor's side, where sleepless mothers would give their lives to lay them down. Thou saw'st the locked lovers when leaping from their flaming ship; heart to heart they sank beneath the exulting wave; true to each other, when heaven seemed false to them. Thou saw'st the murdered mate when tossed by pirates from the midnight deck; for hours he fell into the deeper midnight of the insatiate maw; and his murderers still sailed on unharmed—while swift lightnings shivered the neighboring ship that would have borne a righteous husband to outstretched, longing arms. O head! thou hast seen enough to split the planets and make an infidel of Abraham, and not one syllable is thine!"

I'M GONNA FUCK THIS BOOK

[saintkitten]

i love a lot of books, i really do, but there aren't many that i reread. i mean, i read my favorite book of all time every summer, but that's it.

but goddammit i'm gonna reread the shit out of moby-dick. i'm gonna reread that book so many goddamn times i'll have parts memorized. i'm gonna buy a copy just to tear it up and eat it. i want to inject it into my veins.

this book is fucking amazing.

[saintkitten]

i am in love with my shakespeare class

did you know that the taming of the shrew isn't the most sexist shit ever???? and that it's actually pretty feminist?????

and it's literally petruchio going "oh holy shit look at you you are a BABE holy cow you're beating the shit out of that guy omfg you are the baddest motherfucker okay i am SOLD but babe you can't keep fighting the world with your own two fists girl they're gonna tear you apart but you know what you can use their shitty sexist shit to your advantage girl. lemme show you girl we're gonna be actors together okay we will fool the whole fucking world and make so much money and have so much power and most of all FUN together okay and these dumb motherfuckers won't even know they won't even know when we call them dumbasses right to their faces omg it will be so awesome girl can we do that lemme show you omg we will rule the world together babe are you up for that?????" and kate being like "hOYL SIHT I NEVER EVEN KNEW I COULD DO THAT fuck yeah that's awesome let's fucking do THAT dude let's run the motherfucking world together boy aw yeahhh" and lucentio all like "oh my god that girl she's so beautiful and obedient she's like a doll omfg i want her so much tranio bro let's trick the fuck out of everyone and win her hand ok" and tranio like "you're so fucking stupid but i also want to pretend to be rich and treat everyone like shit without getting my head chopped off so yeah i'll help you" and bianca's like "wow i hate everyone all these ugly ass suitors trying to win my favor with their weak-ass estates and shit fuck that noise oh god here's another one UGH but oh shit wait he's like the richest dude in italy aw YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH i'm rich as fuck now and HAHA jokes on you dude i'm GASP a real woman not a damn mannequin and now i can stop pretending to be a damn ~*~angel~*~ because LOL YOU CAN'T DIVORCE ME BITCH I GOT YO MONEYYYYY" and lucentio's like "FUCK"

i just sit through the whole class quietly going "yoooooooooooooooooo"