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Soucouyant & Loneliness (pt. 2)

In this second part of my discussion on short stories involving the soucouyant and loneliness, I will be discussing Cadwell Turnbull’s short story “Loneliness Is in Your Blood.”

This short story, much like “Greedy Choke Puppy”, deals with the effects of loneliness and presents them through the mythical soucouyant—a Caribbean variation of the vampire myth. The soucouyant is portrayed as a woman, typically old, who sheds her skin at night and drinks blood. There are slight differences between the portrayal in “Loneliness Is in Your Blood” and the one in “Greedy Choke Puppy.” For example, “Greedy Choke Puppy” references the soucouyant having fire powers, while “Loneliness Is in Your Blood” makes no mention of this. While both versions shed their skin at night, and both mention having to check their skin before putting it back on, one references checking for hot peppers while the other mentions checking for salt.

“Loneliness Is in Your Blood” stands out through its portrayal of the loneliness of the main character, as well as the perspective used. “Greedy Choke Puppy” is told mostly in the third person, save for a few scenes where we read the disjointed thoughts of Jacky while she hunts. “Loneliness Is in Your Blood,” however, is told entirely in the second-person; a rare choice that forces the reader to place themselves in the position of the main character. Through this point of view, we witness the soucouyant’s progression from young and desirable—able to quench her thirst for loneliness without blood—to older and isolated—having to feed on blood to quell her hunger. Eventually, the building loneliness from no longer having any lovers culminates in her drinking all of the blood from the couple, resulting in her becoming pregnant with another soucouyant. She was so lonely, and her hunger drove her to quite literally create someone to love.

The memory of the main character’s mother is so distant she can barely recall her appearance. Regardless, she raises her daughter cautiously, not wanting harm to befall her. Her daughter suffers from the same hunger she does, however. She is lonely living only with her mother, and wants to live in a house like other people do instead of the hut she and her mother live in. This loneliness develops into a thirst for blood as well, and the main character teaches her how to feed herself. Unlike in “Greedy Choke Puppy,” the familial bond between the two is not enough to quell the hunger the soucouyants face. Once the main character teaches her daughter everything she knows, she takes off her skin and walks into the ocean, never to return again. With this ending, we see a reflection of the experiences several parents face; they impart their knowledge onto their children, hoping their children will live better lives than they had, while knowing they will likely not be around to see their whole lives.

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Soucouyant & Loneliness (pt. 1)

In this two-part discussion, I will cover how two short stories discussing the mythical soucouyant tackle themes of isolation. 

In Nalo Hopkinson’s short story “Greedy Choke Puppy”, the main character Jacky reads this definition in a book: “Caribbean equivalent of the vampire myth. "Soucouyant," or "blood-sucker." derives from the French verb "sucer," to suck. "Ol’ Higue" is the Guyanese creole expression for an old hag, or witch woman. The soucouyant is usually an old, evil-tempered woman who removes her skin at night, hides it, and then changes into a ball of fire. She flies through the air, searching for homes in which there are babies. She then enters the house through an open window or a keyhole, goes into the child's room, and sucks the life from its body. She may visit one child's bedside a number of times, draining a little more life each time, as the frantic parents search for a cure, and the child gets progressively weaker and finally dies. Or she may kill all at once.”

With the description of the soucouyant as an old woman, or a hag, the story sets us up to believe that the main character’s grandmother is the soucouyant. This conclusion is not false, as she is indeed one; however, she is not the soucouyant whose inner thoughts we read throughout the short story as they feed off a newborn baby. The story reveals that Jacky is actually the soucouyant killing newborns due to her loneliness. Being a soucouyant runs in the family on her maternal side, and the hunger for blood is suppressed by having love in one’s life. Jacky’s grandmother was able to find love in her husband and her family. Upon hearing of Jacky’s romantic troubles, she tried to encourage Jacky to find love in her work and family. This advice does not land, however, and Jacky’s loneliness culminates in a hunger that drives her to kill her friend’s newborn.

While this and another soucouyant short story I will later discuss tackle themes of loneliness, “Greedy Choke Puppy” specifically tackles the dangers of relying solely on romantic love for fulfillment and neglecting family. Jacky rushes her romance to the point of scaring off potential partners, ignoring her grandmother’s advice to find love in her work and friends. When Jacky’s loneliness consumes her, her grandmother destroys her shed skin, causing her to fly into the morning sun and burn. Jacky’s inability to find love and fulfillment in what she had contributed to her loneliness, and her unwillingness to listen to her grandmother’s experienced wisdom eventually led to her demise.

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Louisiana Creole Culture in Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Kasi Lemmons’s Eve’s Bayou centers on the Batiste family, the Creole descendants of the freed Black woman for whom the titular bayou they live in is named. Much of the film, from the setting to the plot, is rooted in Louisiana Creole culture and history. To understand the influences of the film, you must first understand the Louisiana Creole people. The term refers to the mixed-race descendants of French and/or Spanish settlers in Louisiana and freed or enslaved African-Americans. Many Louisiana Creole people identify themselves solely as Black, although some try to pass as white. Eve Batiste (not the main character), having been a free woman of color, would have occupied a different social class upon no longer being enslaved. This, plus her children being of French white descent, allowed an accumulation of generational wealth that afforded the Batistes in the film their lavish lifestyle. Another aspect of Louisiana Creole culture that is very present in the film is Louisiana Vodou. This religion is a mixture of West African spirituality and religious practices brought by enslaved Africans and the Catholic faith they were largely pressured to convert to. Louisiana Vodou is primarily practiced by members of the African diaspora—though recently has included some white practitioners. Though many Louisiana Creole people do not themselves practice Vodou, there are still many who seek guidance or help from those who do. Vodou and its practitioners have had massive impact on the culture of New Orleans and Louisiana as a whole. Vodou, much like several other religions based in African spirituality, has often been demonized and regarded as evil by the Christian majority in America. As such, many horror movies tend to use Vodou—or at least, the popular perception of what Vodou is—as a malevolent plot device. Eve’s Bayou differs in that Vodou itself is not the antagonistic force, nor are its practitioners. The main character’s Aunt Mozelle practices Vodou, using it to help other members of the community. Elzora is another Vodou practitioner in the film, who primarily provides services for monetary gain. The two present differently, with Elzora mmore resembling the stereotypical image of the Vodou practitioner—yet, the film does not present either as more valid than the other, though they clash with each other. Eve’s Bayou is deeply rooted in Louisiana Creole culture, and presents the aspects of this culture without demonizing any of them. Rather than going the typical route of making Vodou the scary aspect, the horror comes from the family’s interactions with each other and the ways they betray each other.

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Us (2019) and the Changeling Myth

Jordan Peele’s 2019 film Us, on top of being a terrifying horror film, is a commentary on classism and inequality. Even though this is the primary message the film intends to convey, several people watching the films have noticed other allusions to be made within the film. The mystery aspect of the film, in addition to how many questions were left unanswered by the end, left much up to interpretation, and several fan theories emerged after the fact. Two such theories—that Jason is neurodivergent, and that he is one of the Tethered—led me to draw a parallel to an old folk legend. Throughout Europe, there are several folk variations of the changeling. Typically, the changeling is a fairy, or the child of a fairy, that is exchanged for a human child. The changeling is identical in appearance to the human child, yet distinguishable through their behavior. Examples of such behavior include unnatural intelligence, insight, and impulsive behaviors—such as jumping about or counting seeds. Several of the traits associated with the changeling legend have been noted to be similar to the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. In the DSM-V, autism spectrum disorder is defined as “persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction” and “restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities” present in early childhood development. The unusualintelligence and insight of changelings is usually attributed to the deficits in social communication present in autistic children; their insight is deemed unnatural because their method of communication differs. Additionally, the impulsive dancing and counting is also attributed to the repetitive patterns of behavior diagnostic criteria. How does this relate to Us? Many theorize that Jason is autistic for multiple reasons—he is stated to have “trouble focusing”, he uses unusual swears like “kiss my anus”, and is able to communicate with Pluto (his “Tethered”) in a way most of the other characters cannot. Interestingly, many others theorize that Jason is actually a Tethered himself for these same reasons. Many of the traits some audience members associated with autism were picked up by others as signs of the supernatural—not all that different from Europeans who believed in the changeling folklore. More interestingly, though, is the parallel Adelaide has with the changeling myth. Unlike Jason, who is human and was never Tethered, Adelaide is revealed to have switched with her above-ground counterpart when they were both young—this makes her a more literal interpretation of the myth. Adelaide, who is one of the Tethered, behaves strangely enough after the switch that her parents take her to be assessed by a psychiatrist. Eventually, however, she learns to mimic the behavior of the people above-ground. While Us still closes with several mysteries unsolved, the fan interpretations of the film draw very interesting parallels to the way neurodivergent people have been treated and viewed historically.

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Candyman (1992) in Retrospect

The 1992 horror film Candyman was massively influential when it came to Black horror purely because it brought visibility. Black people were present in an unprecedented way, ranging beyond just the titular antagonist and into most of the supporting characters. The main character’s best friend—Bernadette—and the residents of Cabrini-Green are all Black—they are also the main victims of Candyman throughout the film. This is one of several examples of the way that, despite centering the plot in a racial backstory, the film contains several problematic elements.

The film’s main character, Helen, is haunted by Candyman throughout the film as she attempts to learn more about him. The choice to make Helen the main character lends itself to multiple problematic issues. First, her haunting by Candyman alludes to stereotypical portrayals of Black men as monsters that lust after white women. This fixation is emphasized by the details of his backstory; he was murdered for having a relationship with a white woman. Instead of the horror coming from this incident of racial violence, we are meant to draw horror from his pursuit of another white woman.

Additionally, the story’s focus on Helen and her struggles presents another issue; the other victims. Even though Candyman’s death was the result of a racist act of violence, he haunts the primarily Black residents of Cabrini-Green. This long list of Black victims eventually includes Bernadette, who never even performed the ritual to summon Candyman. The way Candyman haunts the Black residents of Cabrini-Green makes the film’s focus on Helen and her suffering especially insulting.

Finally, the film’s focus on Helen also allows her to play a “white savior” role in the film. Helen arrives, curious about what she believes to be a legend yet is actually a real, haunting presence to Cabrini-Green. As Candyman ruins the lives of the residents—through methods such as killing, maiming, and kidnapping them—Helen as the focus character is meant to be the focus of our pity for being falsely accused of committing these acts. Then, in the end when she saves the baby Candyman kidnapped as a sacrifice, Helen gives her life to save the baby (who would then go on to play an important role in the far less problematic 2021 sequel).

For the time of its release, Candyman was a bold step in introducing Black actors and Black stories to the horror genre. It is a good film, though flawed, and Nia DaCosta’s sequel builds on what made the original so wonderful while fixing some of its more problematic elements.

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Lovecraft Country

My thoughts on the cancellation

(Contains spoilers)

HBO’s Lovecraft Country was an exciting addition to the recent revival of Black Horror to come out of the past few years. Taking monsters inspired by the works of notorious racist H. P. Lovecraft and making them secondary antagonists behind human characters just as racist, the show had no shortage of terrifying circumstances for the main characters. The show was well-received by critics and audiences alike, earning 18 Primetime Emmy nominations and 2 wins. I tuned in to watch with my parents every week, excited to see how the story would progress. When the season finale aired, clearly teasing a possible second season, I was eagerly awaiting what would come next for this series. In February 2021, it was announced that the second season was being planned and in the early stages of writing.

On July 2, 2021, it was announced that HBO would not be greenlighting a second season. Lovecraft Country was canceled. My reaction, as well as the reaction of other fans of the show, was disappointment and confusion. The series was great and well-received. Why not continue? That same day, showrunner Misha Green tweeted glimpses of the Season 2 Bible, hinting at what the possible plotline could have been. The possible motive for cancellation became clear.

This material showed that the second season would take place decades later, in “The Sovereign States of America,” separated into the Tribal Nations of the West, the New Negro Republic, the Whitelands, and the Jefferson Commonwealth. Not much information is given on these regions, other than that the Whitelands are overrun with zombies.

Many fans, including myself, arrived at the conclusion that the second season was not picked up due to the content going in a direction that made HBO uncomfortable. Supernatural horror in the 50s was tolerable—the 1950s is the past, and acknowledging racism existed in the past isn’t controversial (to most). The inclusion of real historical tragedies, such as Emmet Till’s murder and the Tulsa Massacre, with not graphic but uncomfortable detail was not a risky move for HBO—if only because the former is very well known and the latter had already been touched on in a previous HBO show, Watchmen. However, this proposed second season would bring the plot closer to the present day and portray a segregated America. Perhaps they were uncomfortable with acknowledging racism’s persistence to the modern-day. Perhaps the segregated America felt too risky for them, especially with the strong rise in the Black Lives Matter movement the previous year. Perhaps they saw the success of the first season, patted themselves on the back for adding diversity to their show roster, and called it quits. We can’t know for sure; HBO’s chief content officer Casey Bloys was vague when asked why, saying “It has to be something we think makes sense for us,” and “I don’t think it would be fair to point at any one particular thing.

Some tried to defend HBO’s decision, claiming that the first season covered the source material in its entirety and there was no further material available to draw from. Had the first season not already made drastic changes from the original novel, and had HBO not previously made a second season to Big Little Lies that went beyond the original novel, this defense might have held some weight to it. Other defenses include that most of the main characters were dead by the end of the season. Given that the second season would’ve had a major timeskip and focused on a new generation of characters, that isn’t exactly relevant either.

While it is upsetting to know I will not be able to see more from Lovecraft Country—even more so now that I’ve had a glimpse at what could have been—I do appreciate that the show exists to begin with.

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“Walking Awake”: Futuristic Slave Rebellion

(illustration by Hillary Pearlman)

N. K. Jemisin’s short story “Walking Awake” focuses on Sadie, the head caretaker of a facility that raises children to eventually become hosts of parasitic creatures known as “Masters.” After giving a young boy named Enri to be a new host, she finds herself having frequent dreams of the boy, where he describes the experience of being a host as well as how he can connect with everyone who has ever been a host.

The premise as a whole draws many parallels to slavery. From the way the Masters observe and select from among the children to the very nature of the parasitic relationship, it is clear that the Masters see themselves as “owning” humanity. They want to ensure that the humans see it this way, too; children are indoctrinated into believing that the Masters are aliens that generously came from the sky and saved humanity from themselves. They want the children to believe that they are useless and powerless without them so that there will be no chance at a revolution.

The Masters depend upon the humans for survival, as they cannot live long without a host, but they see the humans as expendable and easily replaced. When one host gets too old for their liking, they simply move into a new one. The human is only worth what their body can provide, whether it’s a young face or a fit body. When that use is no longer available, they are simply discarded in favor of a newer, younger host. Humans are not individual beings with feelings and value to them; they are just property.

Sadie is aware of the cruelty of the whole system. This is seen in her aversion to Enri’s description of his experience: she doesn’t want to hear it, noting that she has avoided imagining it because it would prevent her from doing her job without thinking of rebellion. She goes along with what the Masters want because, despite how much she dislikes sending children to what is effectively their deaths, she doesn’t want the same to happen to her. In maintaining her own survival, she facilitates the continuation of the system and therefore becomes complicit.

Sadie does not remain complicit by the end of the story. The more she dreams of conversations with Enri, the more she lets her rebellious thoughts simmer. It starts small; she slips up while teaching propaganda to the children. Eventually, it escalates to become a plan to take out all of the Masters entirely. With Sadie’s connection to the hosts through her dreams, they would be able to kill them all if Sadie were to be possessed, at the cost of her own life. This major change shows Sadie’s growth as a character: she went from being a participant in oppression to giving her life for it to end.

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District 9’s Unfortunate Oversight

Neil Blomkamp’s District 9 is an interesting allegory for racism. It takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, where a spaceship containing millions of aliens arrived. These aliens are then forced to live in District 9, an internment camp meant to call back to the real District Six in apartheid South Africa. The “Prawns,” as the aliens are referred to, live in slums and are frequently subject to discrimination and violence. The movie begins with plans to “evict” the Prawns and force them into another District 10 further away from the city.

For a film that clearly means to draw parallels between the way its aliens are treated and the way Black people in apartheid South Africa were treated, it surprisingly has no relevant Black characters; aside from the antagonists, of course.

Before focusing on the film’s portrayal of Nigerians, I will address the other Black characters in the film. To summarize these few Black characters we are introduced to, we have: an unnamed woman who shows disgust at the presence of the Prawns, another unnamed woman who is grateful that the Prawns are kept separate, an appearance lasting only a few seconds of the CEO of the main antagonistic company, and the main character’s assistant who ends up in jail.

Plenty of Nigerian people have already made their feelings about this film known. As author Nnedi Okorafor wrote, “Once again minorities get to suffer from the sloppiness of the majority. [...] On top of all this, there was not one redeeming Nigerian character. They were all crazy, motiveless, and blood thirsty. And that’s why in the end, all “The Nigerians” were summarily killed off at basically the same time, complete with the “close on”, cliché, super violent killing of Obasanjo as the cherry on top.”

The leader of the Nigerians operating in District 9, Obesandjo, is after the main character because of his alien arm; he believes that by eating the aliens, he will gain the power to operate their weapons. There’s a lot to unpack here: let’s start with the fact that one of the few named Black characters is portrayed as a cannibalistic arms dealer. It shouldn’t have to be said that this is problematic, but it managed to escape every single person that worked on this film.

District 9 could have benefitted from including more named Black characters outside of the antagonists, consulting Black South Africans, and consulting Nigerians before any of this script made it to film. Aliens as an allegory for racism isn’t a flawed concept, but when your execution demonizes the people we’re meant to draw a parallel to, it may be time to make some revisions.

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“The Courier” in Retrospect

“The Courier” is a short film written and directed by Courtney Jones. It follows a mail courier who is tasked with delivering a very important package: the cure to the deadliest virus in human history.

The film is interesting to watch now, as the world is facing a deadly pandemic. Films in the past that tackled illnesses seemed to do so because they were a terrifying and real, yet unlikely, force of nature. We knew deadly pathogens existed, and we knew that entire populations have been historically wiped out by some, but most people alive today have never experienced a global pandemic on this scale. That is probably why so many films portrayed this topic in a speculative sense.

The primary antagonistic force in the film is Globalceutical, a company that is revealed to have created the virus and will stop at nothing to prevent the antivirus from reaching the public. When I first saw this in the film, I admittedly cringed. It brought to mind unfortunate memories of conspiracy theories raging online about the origins of COVID-19, with a very common one being that it was created in a lab in Wuhan, China—theories ranged from the outbreak being caused by an accidental lab leak to an intentional release of a bioweapon. Given that these conspiracy theories have been the basis of a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, seeing a pharmaceutical company in a film intentionally create a virus that devastated the world hits differently these days.

The efforts to prevent the release of anti-virus also bring up uncomfortable reminders of the current pandemic; although, for different reasons. Citizens of the United States have little trouble getting access to a COVID-19 vaccine these days. All adults are eligible now, and rollout is beginning for children aged 12-15. The rest of the world, however, is not so lucky. Not only does the United States refuse to send the excess of vaccines we have stored, but patent laws for the major available vaccines prevent other countries from manufacturing their own doses. It is simply not profitable to allow it, so the rest of the world must suffer while excess doses go to waste here.

The film ends on a hopeful note: the courier escapes with the antivirus a wanted man, meaning hope for survival is still out there. The film does offer a sobering look at the priorities of companies in the setting that can, unfortunately, be seen in our reality: profit comes before all, even at the cost of millions of lives.

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Assimilation vs. Complicity in Sorry to Bother You

Boots Riley’s 2018 film Sorry to Bother You is a fascinating look at assimilation as a means of survival and when this assimilation bleeds into complicity in oppression.

The film follows Cassius “Cash” Green, a young man struggling to pay rent who seeks a job as a telemarketer for a company called RegalView. He gets the job, only to be met with limited success. After receiving advice from a coworker to “use his white voice” when calling customers, he finds he is making much more progress than before. This process, commonly known as codeswitching, is a prevalent reality for many Black people in professional workplaces. The way we speak is often seen as “unprofessional,” so we alter it to sound a bit more like our white coworkers as a means to assimilate.

Cash’s white voice method is extremely effective, as he is eventually promoted to the Power Caller position and invited to work on the top floor. At this level, Cash’s white voice is no longer an effective strategy to get ahead; it is mandatory. Cash’s normal diction isn’t an option for him anymore. In order to survive, he must maintain this assimilation.

And make no mistake, this is about survival. Before working at RegalView, Cash’s options were very limited. If he couldn’t afford rent, one option was to work for WorryFree: a company that exchanged guaranteed food and housing for lifelong labor. Rather than submit himself to modern-day slavery, Cash chose assimilation to survive. This survival, however, also comes at the cost of abandoning his fellow workers who were beginning to unionize.

There is another aspect to assimilation other than “pretending to be white.” Despite performing whiteness to earn a profit, when invited to a party by WorryFree’s CEO (almost ironically played by Armie Hammer), he is expected to play up his blackness by rapping to entertain the white guests.

Cash’s assimilation does have its limits, however. When he discovers that WorryFree is turning workers into “Equisapiens” to improve obedience and productivity, he turns on them. Rather than accept their offer of infiltrating the Equisapiens to act as a false revolutionary, he reveals their existence to the world in hopes of exposing WorryFree for their inhumane actions. When his actions began to cross from survival to being actively involved in oppression, he turned on the company and career that benefitted him to that point.

Clearly, Cash’s actions could not have come close to being as bad as those of WorryFree; an oppressed person trying to survive cannot be blamed to the same extent as the oppressor. But what I enjoy about this movie is that it does make it clear that one can be complicit in the oppression of others, and the choices one makes at that point can make a difference.

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My Earthseed Community

Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower takes place in California during the years 2024-2027. The world is irreparably damaged by climate change, and society has nearly collapsed entirely. Only the very wealthy can afford to live in comfort and safety; those lucky enough to have a home to take shelter in are constantly vigilant to protect it from others.

It is in this setting that Lauren Olamina, the main character, develops her Earthseed religion. It centers on the idea that God is change. After her home community burns down and she has to flee to survive, she slowly gathers a community of her own, all following Earthseed principles. I will try below to envision an Earthseed community of my own in this setting.

Explain TWO (2) real-life issues that make it necessary to create your Earthseed community. What are you seeking shelter from?

As a result of the climate disasters described in the novel, water is extremely scarce. The people are living in a drought, and this has multiple consequences. There is less water to drink, which is one of the most vital resources for human survival. There is less water available for agriculture, meaning there is also a food scarcity problem. Finally, this drought results in a more arid environment that is perfect for fires to start and spread. In short, this water scarcity creates multiple threats to survival.

While water is still available, it comes at a cost. This is an issue because along with the climate disaster came a widening of the existing wealth gap. Food, medicine, water, guns; anything one might need to survive costs more than many can afford. Lauren’s family often wore the same clothing for many years due to expenses. Many solutions to the problems presented by climate change are available, but only to those who can afford them.

Quote two (2) Earthseed verses from Parable of the Sower and show how you will apply them to your community. You may be creative in your interpretation.

“Any Change may bear seeds of benefit. Seek them out. Any Change may bear seeds of harm. Beware. God is infinitely malleable. God is Change.” Progress cannot be made unless it is sought after. Hoping alone that things will improve will not resolve problems; effort must be made to ensure it. However, any action taken must be done with caution. The future is uncertain, but we must move forward regardless. We can not be reckless as we proceed, but we cannot be so paralyzed by fear that we remain where we are. My community will take this mindset as we work for a healthy, successful future.

“All successful life is Adaptable, Opportunistic, Tenacious, Interconnected, and Fecund. Understand this. Use it. Shape God.” For our community to thrive, we must be open to change and willing to seize new opportunities. We must persist when we struggle, and we must do so as a community. In doing so, we can control change; “Shape God,” as the verse states.

Explain WHERE you will create your Earthseed community to be safe.

My community, as I envision it, will depend on nearby water sources for survival and profit. Because of this, I believe our community should reside near the coast or on an island. Since climate change results in rising sea levels, I believe a coastal community to be safer, as evacuation would involve moving further inland rather than leaving an island entirely.

Who can join your community and why? Who can’t join? Why not?

Anybody who is open to making progress within the community and who will uphold the safety and values of the community is welcome to join. This does not necessarily mean one must work to earn their place. There are plenty of people who cannot work who are just as deserving of a chance to survive and thrive. One must simply be open to contributing to the community, even if it is just in a supportive role. The only people who will not be permitted to join are those solely motivated by financial gain or profit. A family looking to make a survivable income would be welcomed, while people such as the owners of KSF would not be allowed to make a profit off of the work of the community.

What will your leadership model be for your community?

Since our community will thrive on collective efforts that work toward benefitting everyone, it would be detrimental to appoint a single leader. Rather, a select number of community representatives will meet to discuss the needs of the community. These representatives can be volunteers or they can be nominated and voted upon. A system will be in place to remove representatives that do not address the needs and interests of the community.

Create a FUTURE TECHNOLOGY (one on the horizon, not something like teleportation or time travel) to help improve life at your Earthseed community.

The community will run water treatment plants that turn ocean saltwater into water safe enough to drink. These plants will be much like the ones described in the town of Olivar, but we will not run on an indentured servitude model. The brine waste from the plants will be converted into sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. The sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, will be used to make soap for the community to use and sell, earning funds for the community. The hydrochloric acid has limited uses, admittedly, but in a pinch, it can be used to defend against attackers and those who wish harm upon the community.

Explain/show how your Earthseed community will SURVIVE.

The water we gain from the plants will solve many of the problems posed by the water scarcity: the community can drink, we can develop stable agriculture, and our coastal location will put us at less risk of fires spreading. We will develop an organized system of people volunteering to stand guard for the community, using guns (and potentially hydrochloric acid) to defend against those who pose a threat to the community.

Explain/show what TWO steps your Earthseed community will make to build a better future, i.e. education, housing, conservation, farming, etc.

As one of the goals of the community is to escape some of the effects of the climate crisis, conservation will be a major aspect of our community. Water is scarce as is, but since we are producing our own it would be heavily emphasized to conserve water. In the event that the plant should fail, or something should prevent our access to water, we do not want people being used to using water in excess to the point of not being able to function when it is scarce. Additionally, much of the problems that led to this scarcity were caused by excess usage; I want this community to move toward a better future, so conservation would be heavily emphasized.

We will ensure that everyone in the community can read and write, both so that they can learn from the past and so that they can pass their knowledge on to the future. We will also educate the community on important mathematical and scientific concepts, especially those vital to maintaining the water treatment plants. By ensuring community members receive a good education, we not only make sure the people of the community can survive, but we ensure that they will be able to thrive should they ever choose to leave (or should the circumstances that led to the community’s formation be resolved).

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Space Traders and Interest Convergence Theory

The short film “Space Traders”, directed by Reginald Hudlin and based on the short story by Derrick Bell, tells of aliens that come to the United States and promise precious metals and the secret to clean nuclear energy, with one cost: they must surrender every Black citizen to the aliens. What the aliens plan to do with the Black citizens is never stated; when asked, the aliens refuse to answer. All people know is that they will receive these gifts at the cost of real human lives being sent to an unknown fate.

This choice was apparently so difficult for the government to make that they decided to put it up to a vote. The fate of millions of people, decided with a vote. As was unfortunately expected by such a thing, the results of the vote were in favor of the trade. Black people were sent onto ships, fates uncertain, while America got its gold and nuclear energy.

Derrick Bell coined a term called “Interest Convergence Theory.” It states that Black people will only achieve their civil rights when their interests converge with white interests. Put simply, unless white people have a reason to care, they will not support the cause.

For the government officials who put the fate of Black citizens up to a vote, and for everyone who voted in favor of a trade, the uncertainty of Black people’s survival was not sufficient enough to override their material and financial desires. It was not in their interest to ensure the safety of Black citizens, as they had much to gain by following through with the trade.

It is important to note, however, that not every non-Black person was in favor of the trade. In a television program aiming to convince people to vote against the trade, they emphasized how important Black people are. Who else would create such wonderful music? Who else can entertain you? Look at all these inventions created by Black people; aren’t they useful? Their arguments center on how useful Black people are rather than on our inherent value as human beings and that we are just as deserving of safety as everyone else. In another scene, business owners discuss how the trade shouldn’t happen; what about all the money they can make from Black people? These scenes perfectly demonstrate Interest Convergence Theory; the safety and rights of Black citizens are only protected when it is in white people’s best interest to do so.

Thankfully, no aliens have revealed themselves and their desire to take away all the Black people in America. It is, however, a bit upsetting to think of how this would play out if it were to occur. Based on what I’ve seen, I believe some people would sell us out for far less than gold.

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Resources For Describing Emotion

Emotions

Without Making Your Character Feel Too Self Aware

Showing Emotion Without Telling About It

Emotions Associated With Body Language

Telling Readers What The Character Doesn’t Want To Show

Hiding Emotions

Expressing Cardinal Emotions: Masculine vs. Feminine

Writing Extreme Emotion Without Melodrama

Specific Emotions

Conveying Shock

Conveying Embarrassment

Conveying Disappointment

Conveying Love/Attraction

Conveying Annoyance

Conveying Relief

Conveying Uncertainty

Conveying Impatience

Conveying Shame

Conveying Resentment

Conveying Panic

Conveying Guilt

Conveying Desperation

Conveying Sarcasm & Verbal Disrespect

Conveying Confusion

Conveying Stubbornness

Conveying Frustration

Conveying Indifference

Conveying Indignation

Conveying Confidence & Pride

Conveying Smugness

Conveying Enthusiasm

Conveying Curiosity

Conveying Hopefulness

Conveying Unease

Conveying Reluctance

Conveying Worry

Conveying Humility & Meekness

Conveying Happiness & Joy

Conveying Amusement

Conveying Disgust

Conveying Resignation

Conveying Jealousy

Conveying Anticipation

Conveying Contentment

Conveying Defeat

Conveying Excitement

Conveying Fear

Conveying Hatred

Conveying Hurt

Conveying Being Overwhelmed

Conveying Sadness & Grief

Conveying Satisfaction

Conveying Somberness

Conveying Sympathy & Empathy

Conveying Wariness

Conveying Defensiveness

Conveying Desire

Conveying Doubt

Conveying Energy

Conveying Exhaustion

Conveying Hunger

Conveying Loneliness

Conveying Physical Pain

Emotional Wounds

A Role Model Who Disappoints

A Sibling’s Betrayal

A Speech Impediment

Becoming a Caregiver at an Early Age

Being Bullied

Being Fired or Laid Off

Being Held Captive

Being Mugged

Being Publicly Humiliated

Being Raised by Neglectful Parents

Being Raised by Overprotective Parents

Being So Beautiful It’s All People See

Being the Victim of a Vicious Rumor

Being Stalked

Being Trapped in a Collapsed Building

Being Unfairly Blamed For The Death of Another

Childhood Sexual Abuse (by a family member or known person)

Discovering One’s Parent is a Monster

Discovering One’s Sibling was Abused

Experiencing a Miscarriage or Stillbirth

Failing At School

Failing To Do The Right Thing

Financial Ruin Due To A Spouse’s Irresponsibility

Finding Out One’s Child Was Abused

Finding Out One Was Adopted

Getting Lost In a Natural Environment

Growing Up In A Cult

Growing Up in a Dangerous Neighborhood

Growing Up In Foster Care

Growing Up In The Public Eye

Growing Up In The Shadow of a Successful Sibling

Growing Up with a Sibling Who Has a Chronic Disability or Illness

Having Parents Who Favored One Child Over Another

Having To Kill Another Person To Survive

Infertility

Infidelity (emotional or physical)

Losing a Limb

Losing a Loved One To A Random Act of Violence

Making a Very Public Mistake

Overly Critical or Strict Parents

Physical Disfigurement

Rejection By One’s Peers

Telling The Truth But Not Being Believed

The Death of a Child On One’s Watch

Victimization via Identity Theft

Watching A Loved One Die

Wrongful Imprisonment

Spending Time In Jail

Suffering From a Learning Disability

Motivation

Achieving Spiritual Enlightenment

Avoiding Certain Death

Avoiding Financial Ruin

Beating a Diagnosis or Condition

Being Acknowledged and Appreciated by Family

Being a Leader of Others

Being the Best At Something

Caring for an Aging Parent

Carrying on a Legacy

Catching The Bad Guy or Girl

Coming To Grips With Mental Illness

Discovering One’s True Self

Escaping a Dangerous Life one Doesn’t Want

Escaping a Killer

Escaping a Widespread Disaster

Escaping Confinement

Escaping Homelessness

Escaping Invaders

Finding Friendship or Companionship

Finding a Lifelong Partner

Having a Child

Helping a Loved One See They Are Hurting Themselves and Others

Obtaining Shelter From The Elements

Overcoming Abuse and Learning To Trust

Overcoming Addiction

Protecting One’s Home or Property

Pursuing Justice For Oneself or Others

Realizing a Dream

Reconciling with an Estranged Family Member

Rescuing a Loved One From a Captor

Restoring A Name or Reputation

Righting a Deep Wrong

Seeking Out One’s Biological Roots

Stopping an Event From Happening

Trying Again When One Has Previously Failed

Support Wordsnstuff!

Request A Writing Help Post/Themed Playlist/Writing Tips!

Send Me Poetry To Feature On Our Instagram!

Receive Updates & Participate In Polls On Our Twitter!

Like us and share on Facebook!

Read More On Our Masterlist & See our Frequently Asked Questions!

Tag What You Want Me To See With #wordsnstuff!

Participate in monthly writing challenges!

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Please reblog this post if you are a POC writer who believes that our stories are worth telling. White allies who are genuinely interested in POC stories and will go to bat for those who write them are also welcome to interact! (I don’t know about y’all, but I’d personally like to get a bit more color on my dash.) 🖤

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Resources For Romance Writers

Here is a large compilation of resources based on what you guys told me you struggle with the most when writing romance. This ranges from creating a healthy romance to inspire other people to seek the right kind of love, finding inspiration to write, writing realistic scenes, and many other topics. I hope that you find this useful!

Healthy & Realistic Romance

How to write strong character relationships 

How To Write Realistic Romance

Realistic Romance 

Writing Realistic Love Relationships 

LGB Relationships

Romantic Subplots

Writing a Romance Novel 

How to Avoid Forced Romantic Sub-Plot 

Subtle Signs of Love 

Love at First Sight and the Stages of Love 

Using Timelines to Pace Romantic Relationships 

Avoiding the Cheesy Stuff 

Building an Organic Romance 

Writing Healthy Couples In Fiction

Cliches & Tropes To Avoid

What’s Missing In The Modern Romance Heroine

Romance- The deal with triangles.

Writing a quality love triangle

Writing 101- love triangles

The problem with love triangles

Massive List Of Romance Tropes

Massive List Of Friendship Tropes

Things About Romance Learned From TV

Cliches To Avoid Or Reconstruct

Writing Emotional Scenes Without Melodrama

Friendship to Love

Enemies to Lovers 

Female Characters To Avoid

Romance Scenes & NSFW Resources

Handling the Risqué Parts of Writing Romance 

The Big Book Of Writing Sex

Twenty Steps To Writing Great Love Scenes

Ten Essentials To Writing Love Scenes

Sizzling, Sensuous and Steamy: How to Write Love Scenes

Keeping it Sweet While Turning Up the Heat

Kissing Scenes

Sexual Tension 

Delicate and Relevant Sex Scenes 

Types Of Kisses

Five Flirting Styles

Flirting Types

Obvious Flirting Signs

How To Flirt

Writing Flirty Things

Words To Use In Sex Scenes

Synonyms For Private Bits

Things For Beginners

Tips for Beginning Romance Writers 

5 Tips To Writing Engaging Romance

How To Write From The Opposite Gender’s Point Of View

Writing Gender Specific Dialogue

How to Write a Romance Novel: The Keys to Conflict 

4 Tips For Writing For The Romance Market

How To Write Romance

Bringing Humor Into Your Romance

Inspiration

Romantic Things On Tumblr

Love poems

The Bad Sex Awards (What Not To Do)

TheRomantic.com

General Tools and Tips

Romance University 

RT Book Reviews’ Romance site 

5 Ways To Write Romance With Respect

10 Ways To Improve Your Romance Novel

7 Essential Tips For Writing A Romance

Using Real Psychology In Your Writing 

Help With Romance: General Things

Plotting The Teen Romance

Research Flaws In Romance

Writing Romantic Dialogue

Touchy-Feely Words

Resource Masterposts I Made

Wordsnstuff Masterlist

Useful Writing Resources

Useful Writing Resources II

Resources For Fantasy & Mythology Writers

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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

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Editing Checklist

Editing Software:

StyleWriter 4 is fantastic. It’s an add-on for Microsoft word and has a 14-day trial period. It goes through your text, picks out “glue words”, misspellings, long sentences, homonyms, passive tense, shows your reading grade level, and more.

Editminion *FREE* checks for adverbs, weak words, passive voice, cliches, and homonyms among other things.

Pro Writing Aid is another online editor. It is mostly free, but offers more features if you pay.

AutoCrit offers free analysis for under 500 words, otherwise you have to pay for more text and more editing features.

Paper Rater offers a free service for editing, but it is designed for essays.

Formatting Checklist: This follows the general guide of formatting a manuscript in Microsoft word. However, some literary agents and editors have their own requirements.

Under the paragraph option, change the special indentation to first line at .5”. Change to document to double spaced.

There should be no spaces between paragraphs.

When showing a scene break, center # on a blank line.

Font should be easy to read. Courier New and Times New Roman are preferred at size 12.

All margins should be 1”.

Start chapters on a new page and put the chapter title 1/3 down the page. Write the chapter like so: CHAPTER ONE - CHAPTER TITLE. Press return 4 - 6 times before starting the text of the chapter.

For the header, put YOUR NAME/BOOK TITLE/PAGE NUMBER in the upper right-hand corner. Start this header on the first page of the first chapter.

The cover page of your manuscript should have your name, word count, and contact information in the upper left-hand corner.

The title on the cover page should be in all caps. Your name should be underneath in all caps. If you use a pen name, write YOUR REAL NAME (WRITING AS PEN NAME).

At the end of the manuscript, start a new page and write END.

Self-Editing Checklist:

Spelling:

If you are using Microsoft word for your word processor, use the spell check. After that, go through the manuscript line by line to make sure everything is spelled right. You may have used “form” instead of “from” and skipped it because Microsoft word did not see it as misspelled.

Printing out your work or viewing it in another way (such as a pdf on an ereader) helps find these mistakes.

Beta readers can find what you missed as well.

Use editing software to check homonyms or look up a list of homonyms and find them in your document using ctrl + f. Check these words to make sure you used the right spelling.

Grammar and Style:

First use Microsoft word’s grammar checker, but be aware that it is not always right. Check grammar girl if you are unsure.

For dialogue, you can always pick up a professionally published book and look at how the dialogue tags are used, where commas are placed, and when other punctuation is used.

If you’re in school and your English teacher isn’t too busy, have them take a look at it.

Look out for prepositions. Most of the time, you can omit these words and the sentence will still make sense. Beginner writers use a lot of these in their writing and it slows the flow.

Check for adverbs. You’d be surprised at how many you use in your writing, sometimes up to five a page. Using a few in narration is okay, but only a few. Delete adverbs you find, especially those that end in “-ly”, and rewrite the sentences in necessary.

Delete gerunds and forms of “to be” if writing in past tense. Instead of “were running”, write “ran”.

Check subject-verb agreement.

Use correct dialogue tags. People don’t bark their words. They shout.

Two digit numbers should be written as words (twenty-seven) while numbers with more than two digits should be written with numbers (123).

Avoid passive verbs.

Vary sentence length.

Show with the five senses rather than telling.

Most of the time, you can delete the word “that”.

Avoid using “unique” or “significant” words too often.

Consistency:

Make sure all your font is the same size and type.

Make sure you have no plot holes. Use the comment feature in Microsoft Word to track these plots.

Make sure your time line is consistent.

The tone should fit the scene.

There should be one POV per scene. Unless you’re a brilliant writer and can pull off third person omniscient.

Verb tense should be consistent.

Keep track of the details you release of people, places, and things. The reader will remember if in one chapter you say your protagonist has blue eyes and in another you say green.

Pacing:

The whole book should flow in and out of fast paced scenes to keep your reader interested and slow scenes to give them a break.

The middle should not “sag”.

Sentences should flow smoothly.

Plot:

Keep track of all your plots and sub-plots. Readers will remember them.

There should be a beginning, middle, and end.

Is the initial problem at the beginning of the manuscript?

There should be at least one antagonist. This does no have to be a person.

Is there enough conflict?

There should be a resolution.

All scenes should have something to do with plot.

The climax should be the most exciting part.

Character:

The protagonist should change by the end of the book.

Make sure all characters who come in contact with one another have some kind of relationship, whether good or bad.

Characters must have motivation for everything.

The protagonist must want something right from the start of the conflict.

The protagonist needs to be captivating. The readers wants to root for the protagonist. This does not mean the protagonist needs to be likable all the time.

The readers likes to relate to characters. Make sure your characters are diverse enough that readers can identify with one.

Know who your protagonist is. The main character is not always the same. For example, Nick in The Great Gatsby is the main character, but Jay Gatsby is the protagonist. This is important to know while writing your query letter.

If you can delete a minor character from a scene and nothing changes, then delete that character.

Sometimes you can make two minor characters one without losing any essential parts of the story. If you can, do this.

All characters react and act.

Each character has his or her own life.

Dialogue:

Dialogue should be believable. Read it out loud.

Don’t go overboard with phonetic spelling if a character has an accent.

Dialogue should be informal and natural. It does not have to be grammatically correct.

Prose:

Avoid purple prose. I’ve never met anyone with “emerald eyes” or “hair of fire” (except for the Flame Princess).

Don’t use too many adjectives.

Avoid cliches.

Other:

Don’t info dump. Pace information through dialogue and narration.

The first sentence should spark interest, or at least the first three. If it does, the first paragraph should be the same. And the first 250 words. The goal is to get the reader past the first page.

Let your story rest. When you’re ready to edit, start at the end. Writers tend to get lazy at the end of their story whether they are writing it for the first time or revising it after revising the rest of the story.

Make sure your manuscript is within range for your genre’s word count.