of wolves and words

I'm Maddie, or Maddie-the-Muse, or Mindyanna, or Miss Mouse, or any other of a dozen or so monikers. I am an artist, designer and photographer; an audiophile; an arts devotee. I read. I write. I sometimes proofread or beta read for others. This space will be filled with things that inspire me, writing tips and tricks, beauty and wonder. Need to know more? If you ask nice, I may just give you an answer. Unless noted, I don't own the images posted here, if you do, let me know and I will credit or take down as you wish.

[wordsnwolves]

Not ready to say goodbye

But can't have you stay

[scottybrock]

“Because there’s something inside you that made you keep trying, despite everyone who told you to quit.”

— shane koyczan

[wordsnwolves]

Callipygian

(adj.) having large, round, succulent buttocks.

Etymology: Greek kallipýg(os) - with beautiful buttocks; ‘kalli-‘ (calli- - beautiful) + ‘pyg(ḗ)’  (rump).

[maaarine]

Guardian News: “‘You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words,’ climate activist Greta Thunberg has told world leaders at the 2019 UN climate action summit in New York.”

[wordsnwolves]

Apple has deemed BREAKS as having inappropriate content and has made it unsearchable on iOS Tapas app. Itis NOT inappropriate and I encourage all of you who are not currently reading (which I'm sure most of you are because you all have great taste) to check it out. BREAKS on Tapas https://tapas.io/series/BREAKS

[cookinguptales]

I think, after all these years, I have identified the worst “positive” reaction to coming out as a queer woman. This guy was very supportive. He was totally okay with me being into women. And to show his support, he’d try to bond with me like he would with a straight guy — by talking about hot women.

And oh my god, I don’t think I ever quite realized the way most men’s heads worked until then. This guy is older but relatively progressive. He used to work with victims of sexual abuse so he’s usually pretty sensitive to things like that.

AND YET

Suddenly we were having horrible conversations like:

“Hey, I saw a drunk girl outside. She’s so drunk that her top keeps slipping off and she’s flashing everyone.” “Holy shit.” *checks outside to make sure she’s okay and has friends to take care of her* “Yeah, I know you’re into women now so I figured you’d want to take a look  too, haha.”

And I just! That reaction is just chilling! Suddenly I was having a straight guy joking with me about women in all kinds of compromised sexual situations, suddenly he was nudging me about every tit in media, suddenly he was talking in graphic objectifying detail about women’s bodies.

It was like I’d been inducted into a boy’s club and it was horrible in there. And all I could think was like… is this genuinely the way you guys talk about us? Are these really your bonding rituals? Do you think all queer women do this to other women?

Like, I’m not going to say that there aren’t any women who are creeps about other women (or hell, even about men), but the sheer lack of shame was kind of shocking. It’s not just this one guy; I’ve gotten it from other “woke” guys, too. This shameless, casual dehumanization of women, like it’s normal, like it’s the only way you can be sexually attracted to a woman. There’s a strange undercurrent of violence to it that feels utterly foreign to me.

I can’t look at a woman too drunk to consent and get excited about seeing her accidentally bared body because I’m thinking “What if that were me? What if that were my friend? What is she going to feel like later? Is she safe?” It’s a scary thing, not a hot one. And it’s kind of disturbing that empathy isn’t the first thought for the men who look at her, too. If anything, there was a sort of aroused disdain for a girl that “sloppy”. (But not so sloppy that they wouldn’t stare at her breasts.)

As a queer woman, I spend so much time fretting about being accidentally weird towards women. Staring too long or too hard, being too close, crossing boundaries. Because I think about all the times men have harassed me and made me feel small and scared and alone and I never want to do that to someone else. I’m not some awkward preteen who’s unsure about sexual boundaries anymore; I’m a grown-ass adult who has a responsibility to not be a creep.

And it’s always so bizarre and frankly kind of horrifying to realize how many other adults do not feel that same responsibility. As much as I hate the simultaneous desexualization and oversexualization of queer women, I found that being treated like “just one of the guys” was so much worse. I try to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking my own sexuality is innately predatory because of its queerness — and then I’m confronted with sexuality that actually is predatory and it’s like a slap in the face.

God, what must it be like to never worry about the feelings of the person you’re staring at? How liberating. How horrible. How terrifying.

[elfwreck]

Straight cis men hate and fear homosexuality because they’re terrified that gay men will treat them the way they treat women.

[dilligaf-lesbian]

Queer women have been shamed and made to feel like they’re predators. While socialization and internalized mysogyny can make queer women creeps too, a good deal of them try their best to not act like straight men.

There’s an entire trope of wlw stories where both pine for the other but refuse to make any advances for the sake of preserving the friendship!! Men won’t even try for friendship with women! They just whine about the “friend zone,” which isn’t a thing.

In conclusion, cishet men are shit

[feminism135]

[wordsnwolves]

You didn't live.

I didn't stay.

She wasn't born.

You never called.

He said no.

[wordsnwolves]

[sixpenceee]

Beetlejuice themed wedding by hakeemandjasmine

[sixpenceee]

Picture by Jeff Lee Johnson, the longer you look the weirder it gets

The writing in the journal:

“have to think he less strange than the horrifying creature that seems to have inhabited the cabinet behind the counter. All tentacles and teeth…"

[sixpenceee]

Abandoned Dollhouses by Juli Steel. Her Instagram is @twistedcopperforest.

[wordsnwolves]

Poor grammar, spelling and punctuation are not stylistic writing choices, they are just laziness!

Read through your writing before posting it. If every sentence is a stand alone "paragraph" because you haven't used a single period, edit that shit before posting.

Ellipses are made up of three periods, not two, not four, and certainly not seven. You are also very likely over using them and not using them correctly. They are very rarely called for.

Look up what a comma splice is and learn how to stop using them. I promise there are ways to convey that thought properly.

I want to read your story. Other people want to read your story. Make it easier for us to do so. Please!

[wordsnwolves]

Long haired, wet nosed, fluffy, puppy people-eater

[feministism]

[babyanimalgifs]

Animal snaps

[wingedhoney]

heavenly words

aliferous: (adj.) having wings

apricity: (n.) the warmth of the sun in the winter

aspectabund: (adj.) letting emotion show easily through the face or eyes

aurora: (n.) dawn

balter: (v.) to dance gracelessly, but with enjoyment

cafune: (n.) the act of running your fingers through the hair of someone you love

catharsis: (n.) release of emotional tension

charmolypi: (n.) a mixed feeling of happiness while being sad

diaphonous: (adj.) light, translucent, and delicate

dulcet: (adj.) sweet

ephemeral: (adj.) fleeting

ethereal: (adj.) extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world

eutony: (n.) the pleasantness of a word’s sound

halcyon: (adj.) a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful

illecebrous: (adj.) enticing

irenic: (adj.) promoting peace

kalon: (n.) beauty that is more than skin-deep

kalopsia: (n.) the seeing of things as more beautiful than they actually are

lacuna: (n.) a blank or missing part

lilt: (n.) a pleasant gentle accent

ludic: (adj.) full of fun and high spirits

meraki: (n.) to do something with love or soul

nefelibata: (n.) cloud-walker; one who lives in the clouds of their own imagination

nepenthe: (n.) something that makes one forget their sadness

nubivagant: (adj.) wandering in the clouds

numinous: (adj.) feeling fearful yet awed and inspired

orphic: (adj.) beyond ordinary understanding

pyrrhic: (adj.) won at too great a cost

pulchritudinous: (adj.) breathtaking, heartbreaking beauty

scintilla: (n.) a tiny trace or spark of a feeling

selcouth: (adj.) unfamiliar, strange, yet marvelous

sirimiri: (n.) a light drizzle of rain

susurrus: (n.)  whispering, murmuring, or rustling

sweven: (n.) a dream

temerate: (v.) to break a bond or promise

viridity: (n.) innocence

yonderly: (adj.) absent-minded