New Blog

who dis?

[queer-as-city-folk]

For the sake of clarity, English should have a second set of pronouns exclusively used when discussing a person who is not the subject of the sentence

[queer-as-city-folk]

This is because gender alone can make it hard to parce who is being referred to in a sentence

[queer-as-city-folk]

For example using xe/xir/xem as a placeholder non-subject pronoun compare these two sentences:

She told her that her dog had left her apartment and was now in her yard

VS

She told Xem that her Dog had left xir apartment and was now in xir yard

[queer-as-city-folk]

I know names are also an option but that feels very weird to say

Alice told Jane that Alice's dog had left Jane's apartment and was now in Jane's yard

[queer-as-city-folk]

Now the question is how do we make the hypothetical non subject pronoun clear when discussing multiple people

She (1) told her(2) about her(3) crush

We have already improved it by making it into

She told xir about xir crush

But how do we distinguish between those two individuals

[tiamatisobscure]

i suggest a set of numerical pronouns indicating the first mention the second mention etc.

pri/prim/pris, du/dum/dus, tri/trim/tris, qua/quam/quas, qui/quim/quis, hexa/hexam/hexis etc etc etc

[queer-as-city-folk]

I really like that actually, it looks cool, can create continuity between multiple lines and is in general just very clear for writing

[queer-as-city-folk]

The only hard part would be immediately establishing who corresponds to which number but I think that could be done through something as simple as numbering each character at the start so Alice (1) Jane(2) Sara(3) Jonathan (4) etc

[tiamatisobscure]

ooo you could even give em prefixes. like instead of mister its prima alice, dua jane, tria sara, quara jonathan. which would also be fun.

[queer-as-city-folk]

That would be really interesting, especially if you assume each person numbers those around them differently starting from pri for themselves. Giving you an instant view into pris relationship with others. So someone may refer to pris close friend as qui but pris mother as centi due to cutting centum off recently

[tiamatisobscure]

oooo i love the social implications of that! opens up the opportunity for insults as well. infi/infum/infus for people who folks think arent worth the air they breathe.

also could have interesting object reference implications. a poet referring to the reflection in the water as dum, or a sailor naming their boat as qua. fun poetry to it!

[queer-as-city-folk]

Oh my god, the implications for poetry!!!

Here are just a few ideas from my head

Referring to a dead lover as pri

Referring to the self as du

Referring to the past self as du, future self as pri, and present self as tri

Messing with the order of pronouns vs introduction in a narrative to create confusion

[undercapitalized]

Ok but why is the main Oxford definition (the one that comes up on google) of fallacy an example of the logical fallacy called the fallacy fallacy a.k.a fallacy of fallacy

[undercapitalized]

The Coop

What came first, the chicken or the egg?

In the beginning, there was nothing. A voice boomed then, and the voice was the Word, and the Word was God. God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. But He created another thing on that day, before it could be called a day. His second creation is not included in the distributed texts because to be aware of Her in any capacity is to blaspheme by vice of knowing alone.

Overtaken with a joyous glee at His newly forged paragon, He spoke again: He said, ‘Let there be the Chicken Moon,’ and the Chicken Moon was. Before an Earth existed to squawk upon, thousands of writhing necks summited by more than twice as many pebble eyes shrieked out as one onto the void a million merciless piercing screams; that was the home of insanity, the embodiment of entropy, and the glutton of creation. As a result, this was the reason He held to separate the firmaments.

All was created then; all land, all sea, all creature and bird, sun and moon, and all was made for use by Man, with one exception. A tree He erected in the geometric center of this fertile garden was posited just so in that each fruit it bore and each leaf it bowed miraculously shifted oddly this way and that in tandem with the light of the moon. The tree danced in a motion that puzzled the Man named Eve for she knew how to walk about any other plant in the garden, and they did not move like creatures, like this tree. This was the one tree—the only plant or creature or position of the garden—that she and Adam were then forbidden by Him. As it was, this was the tree which He had postured to clothe the naked and yearning Chicken Moon lest one should then behold.

As the Biblical story proclaims, Eve then ate of this fruit. What is not told is that in doing so, she gazed upon the amalgamation of flesh and claw that lay behind. Every eye held a thousand souls, and every soul a thousand histories, every one of which leaked from the ducts of both tear and feather as a thick iridescent ichor, dripping amongst the fruit from which she ate. Eve then knew.

She knew she was as naked as the moon. She knew also that Adam did not know. So she told him, and he believed not a single word. Despite her voice ringing with truth, his instinct was honest. Even then, he sought to comprehend what kind of evil would drive her to lie so imprudently. He joined her at the tree, and where he found no lie, he did then know why she insisted just as the truth insists upon itself.

As the Chicken Moon is regarded upon, She then bears Her fruit that is the egg which is sent down on to the Earth of that instance. These children born from the fruit of the moon and the seed of knowledge walk alongside the sons of Adam today and evermore. Not unlike ever present hawks, they commune with Cain and his brothers likewise. Each time he eats of them, they siphon his mind back upwards to their mother alongside his bodily gasses; as, too, do we. Each glance he bears them boasts a thousand pains of a thousand histories; as, too, do ours. The necessity to feed our mother the Chicken Moon persists in all who regard Her; as we then consume; as her offspring that is our brethren who breed and then decay therefore inside of us, from ashes to ashes and from dust to dust.

Now that you know, you will know what to expect. You will see. The mother, the Chicken Moon, She has your seed now—your spark of knowledge. When you next regard the moon, you will be grateful to have known. Be not afraid. Those who know without knowing have little hope to be capable of passing along Her egg as you know you must. It does come first, after all.

[undercapitalized]

I'm looking to use a Michigan town as a setting for a story, but the problem is, I've never actually been there...

Anyone able to enlighten me about any towns there that have the following qualities?

Population 8k-50k (ish)

Mid-strong natural landscapes overlapping the city

Not water tho, some rivers are ok but it's not a coast vibe or anything

Abandoned factories, mills, or industrial buildings

Low tourism rates

Any suggestions would be much appreciated♡

[frutify]

I don't know what you think about using AI for research. I like to ask people, like in Reddit when I need something, but if I can't have answers I recur to AI.

This is what chatgpt answered:

---

1. Jackson, MI

Pop. ~32,000

Vibe: Old industrial hub — once full of railcar and manufacturing plants, now with a quiet, worn feel.

Landscape: Rolling hills, dense woods on the outskirts, small rivers and creeks cut through. Nature and city overlap — ivy creeping on brick, lots of wooded dead-end roads.

Abandoned spaces: Plenty. You’ll find old warehouses, rail spurs, and half-empty downtown buildings.

Tourism: Minimal. Locals, commuters, and some light history buffs (the prison museum, etc.), but that’s it.

---

2. Battle Creek, MI

Pop. ~52,000 (close enough to your range)

Vibe: Cereal capital of the world (Kellogg’s started there), but the industry shrank; lots of old factory buildings and faded grandeur.

Landscape: River (Kalamazoo River) weaves through a forested basin — lots of parkland blending into town edges.

Tourism: Low except for small Kellogg-related sites. Generally quiet.

Tone for fiction: Works well for stories about economic decline, small-town inertia, or strange natural reclamation.

---

3. Alpena, MI

Pop. ~10,000

Vibe: On the edge of wilderness, with an isolated feel — though technically coastal, you can easily set things inland and still use Alpena as the cultural reference point.

Landscape: Pine forests, abandoned quarries, old cement factories. Feels remote.

Tourism: Barely any outside of summer months. Off-season = ghost town.

---

4. Adrian, MI

Pop. ~20,000

Vibe: Small college town with a blue-collar skeleton. Old mills and factories along the Raisin River.

Landscape: Heavily wooded outside city limits, plenty of farmland and overgrown spaces nearby.

Tourism: Almost nonexistent. You get the sense of a town that had its moment and drifted back into anonymity.

---

5. Owosso, MI

Pop. ~15,000

Vibe: Industrial decline, rail town atmosphere, a bit melancholic.

Landscape: Shiawassee River runs through, surrounded by fields and forest.

Tourism: Nearly none.

Bonus: Architecturally interesting downtown — decaying 19th-century façades and forgotten manufacturing districts.

---

Runner-up mentions:

Coldwater – more farmland/forest, some light prison-industrial vibe.

Ionia – small, with huge old prison complexes and rural decay around it.

Three Rivers – beautiful name, very “overgrown backroads” aesthetic.

-> please, consider checking veracity.

[undercapitalized]

Ayyy thank you! I almost abandoned this project. Still got it tucked away though, might give another shot at it.

I personally see no issues using AI for inconsequential surface level research anymore—from what I've seen at this point, it's no less environment friendly than a google search, and generally can be used as a directory of sources (or at least be asked to give them.)

[natalieironside]

Useful life hacks:

Spice up your prose and really make your writing stand out by using exciting active verbs such as "bite" and "tear" and "rend" and "rip" and "feed" and "hunt" and "devour" and "chase" and "run" and "eat" and

[approximately20eggs]

@albatris

[undercapitalized]

I've heard this advice before, always wondered... is it tense sensitive? Often does seem to emphasize present tense correlating w a verb being active, but I've heard some argue it's purely the nature of the type of verb regardless of tense.

Which feels the most natural to you in a past tense piece of writing?

[undercapitalized]

Curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought it back.

But the cat with content had no reason to wonder;

No reason to search; no reason to hunger.

He starved—

Unaware the fate of his brother.

[undercapitalized]

Love me some good em dashes—it's like a semicolon meets ellipsis but less formal.

Just never forget.

Line spacing, though invisible, is emphatic punctuation as well. No matter how good any one tool in a toolbox is, you can't hammer a screw any more than you can screwdrive a nail. Spice it up, but don't forget your balance!

[fassina]

This from In Writing, a collection of writers reflecting on practice, really resonated with me.

[katherynefromphilly]

Under the category of “Things I’ve Learned About Writing by Actually Writing (Dammit)”:

1. There Might Not Be (and probably isn’t) “One Right Writing Process” for You. Each story might tell you it needs something different. Some things want structure before you can start. Some want to be imagined fully and then barfed out onto paper and set aside a while. Feel free to change what you do as you write to suit the story, and to suit you! It’s a process! Let it evolve!

2. You can be BOTH a plotter (structure-based writer) and a pantser (intuitive writer) — within the space of the same story! As with most things, there is more than one thing you can be, and you do not have to choose. I’ve used both structure and intuition, both beats and gut feel, to write stories. Sometimes the first draft is intuitive and the revisions are where the structure comes in. Sometimes I start with structure and then veer off course. Sometimes I start structure focused and then find I’m not enjoying myself and then veer back into intuition (my current situation). You don’t have to be One Thing Or The Other. Both, as always, is good.

Feel free to add your own things that you’ve learned — especially if they’re counter to the million freaking YouTube videos out there.

[pumpkin-spice-whump]

Writing is so stupid because you’re like it’s just putting down words I know words this will be so simple and then it’s the most difficult thing you’ve ever done

[prokopetz]

Death of the author: Treating the author’s stated interpretation of their own work as merely one opinion among many, rather than the authoritative Word of God.

Disappearance of the author: Treating the context and circumstances of the work’s authorship as entirely irrelevant with respect to its interpretation, as though the work had popped into existence fully formed just moments ago.

Taxidermy of the author: Working backwards from a particular interpretation of the work to draw conclusions about what the context and circumstances of its authorship must have been.

Undeath of the author: Holding the author personally responsible for every possible reading of their work, even ones they could not reasonably have anticipated at the time of its authorship.

Frankenstein’s Monster of the author: Drawing conclusions about authorial intent based on elements that are present only in subsequent adaptations by other authors.

Weekend at Bernie’s of the author: Insisting that the author would personally endorse your interpretation of the work if they happened to be present.

[waral]

I thought this was going to be a joke, but these are all very real things you see people do.

[prokopetz]

I’m never more serious than when I’m joking.

[undercapitalized]

I want to share what I've been writing, but I'm afraid it'll never get traditionally published if I post it online.

Is this a valid fear? Or unfounded?

Valid, don't post it

Valid, but post it anyway

Invalid, that's not how publishing works

Invalid, publishing used to work that way but not anymore

No answer/See results

Voting ended onNov 6, 2023

[dduane]

“I think fanfiction is literature and literature, for the most part, is fanfiction, and that anyone that dismisses it simply on the grounds that it’s derivative knows fuck-all about literature and needs to get the hell off my lawn. Most of the history of Western literature (and probably much of non-Western literature, but I can’t speak to that) is adapted or appropriated from something else. Homer wrote historyfic and Virgil wrote Homerfic and Dante wrote Virgilfic (where he makes himself a character and writes himself hanging out with Homer and Virgil and they’re like “OMG Dante you’re so cool.” He was the original Gary Stu). Milton wrote Bible fanfic, and everyone and their mom spent the Middle Ages writing King Arthur fanfic. In the sixteenth century you and another dude could translate the same Petrarchan sonnet and somehow have it count as two separate poems, and no one gave a fuck. Shakespeare doesn’t have a single original plot—although much of it would be more rightly termed RPF—and then John Fletcher and Mary Cowden Clarke and Gloria Naylor and Jane Smiley and Stephen Sondheim wrote Shakespeare fanfic. Guys like Pope and Dryden took old narratives and rewrote them to make fun of people they didn’t like, because the eighteenth century was basically high school. And Spenser! Don’t even get me started on Spenser. Here’s what fanfic authors/fans need to remember when anyone gives them shit: the idea that originality is somehow a good thing, an innately preferable thing, is a completely modern notion. Until about three hundred years ago, a good writer, by and large, was someone who could take a tried-and-true story and make it even more awesome. (If you want to sound fancy, the technical term is imitatio.) People were like, why would I wanna read something about some dude I’ve never heard of? There’s a new Sir Gawain story out, man! (As to when and how that changed, I tend to blame Daniel Defoe, or the Modernists, or reality television, depending on my mood.) I also find fanfic fascinating because it takes all the barriers that keep people from professional authorship—barriers that have weakened over the centuries but are nevertheless still very real—and blows right past them. Producing literature, much less circulating it, was something that was well nigh impossible for the vast majority of people for most of human history. First you had to live in a culture where people thought it was acceptable for you to even want to be literate in the first place. And then you had to find someone who could teach you how to read and write (the two didn’t necessarily go together). And you needed sufficient leisure time to learn. And be able to afford books, or at least be friends with someone rich enough to own books who would lend them to you. Good writers are usually well-read and professional writing is a full-time job, so you needed a lot of books, and a lot of leisure time both for reading and writing. And then you had to be in a high enough social position that someone would take you seriously and want to read your work—to have access to circulation/publication in addition to education and leisure time. A very tiny percentage of the population fit those parameters (in England, which is the only place I can speak of with some authority, that meant from 500-1000 A.D.: monks; 1000-1500: aristocratic men and the very occasional aristocratic woman; 1500-1800: aristocratic men, some middle-class men, a few aristocratic women; 1800-on, some middle-class women as well). What’s amazing is how many people who didn’t fit those parameters kept writing in spite of the constant message they got from society that no one cared about what they had to say, writing letters and diaries and stories and poems that often weren’t discovered until hundreds of years later. Humans have an urge to express themselves, to tell stories, and fanfic lets them. If you’ve got access to a computer and an hour or two to while away of an evening, you can create something that people will see and respond to instantly, with a built-in community of people who care about what you have to say. I do write the occasional fic; I wish I had the time and mental energy to write more. I’ll admit I don’t read a lot of fic these days because most of it is not—and I know how snobbish this sounds—particularly well-written. That doesn’t mean it’s “not good”—there are a lot of reasons people read fic and not all of them have to do with wanting to read finely crafted prose. That’s why fic is awesome—it creates a place for all kinds of storytelling. But for me personally, now that my job entails reading about 1500 pages of undergraduate writing per year, when I have time to read for enjoyment I want it to be by someone who really knows what they’re doing. There’s tons of high-quality fic, of course, but I no longer have the time and patience to go searching for it that I had ten years ago. But whether I’m reading it or not, I love that fanfiction exists. Because without people doing what fanfiction writers do, literature wouldn’t exist. (And then I’d be out of a job and, frankly, I don’t know how to do anything else.)”

— “As a professor, may I ask you what you think about fanfiction?” (via meiringens)

[undercapitalized]

Tommyknockers sucked. I'm usually a diehard King fan, but this novel was not it. The whole book is a plothole.

Was his publisher rushing him or something? Because ouch.

[nthfunct-deactivated20231201]

man who opened a parenthesis he forgot to close 4 years ago is tragically unaware everything he's said since has been an aside

[novlr]

Best self-care tips for writers!

🔹 Drink plenty of water (not just coffee or tea). 🔹 Don't compare yourself to other writers. 🔹 Take regular breaks. 🔹 Take time to read for fun. 🔹 Write something just because you enjoy it! 🔹 Set realistic, achievable goals.

[beewithabuzz]

I feel called out.

*proceeds to drink tea as i post this*

[undercapitalized]

Tea is just seasoned water, it counts

[undercapitalized]

One of the hardest things for me to internalize about writing is how not all questions need to be answered.

Not everything has to be perfectly logical. Not everything needs strict reasoning.

How bees fly isn't logical, either, but they still do. Sometimes it's just how the world is. Sometimes characters do things simply because they want to even if it doesnt further their main goal. Sometimes science and math and formulas and straightforward answers don't facilitate a good story. And that's okay. Nobody's here for scientific breakthroughs or a strictly logical progression from point A to point B.

It's a story, dammit. It's about the journey and the friends we made along the way.