cinderstorm

[cinderstorm]

First ape to go to the watering hole with a container and put some of the water in it so that they could drink more later without returning to the watering hole must have been lauded as a fucking genius.

[cinderstorm]

All I'm saying is, if a fic refers to characters by their physical attributes instead of their names or pronouns ("he smiled at the older" "the blonde laughed") when we know who the character is, and ESPECIALLY if the descriptions include "ravenette" or "cyanette" or other ridiculous words--

I'm clicking out of that fic so fast my AO3 history won't even register I've been there.

[cinderstorm]

On the issue of the ‘q slur’...

So, yesterday, I got into a rather stupid internet argument with someone who was peddling what seemed to me to be a rather insidious narrative about slur-reclamation. Someone in the ensuing notes raised a point which I thought was interesting, and worrying, and probably needed to be addressed in it’s own post. So here we go:

The word ‘queer’ itself seems to be especially touchy for many, so let me begin to address this by way of analogy.

Instead of talking about “queer”, let’s start by talking about “Jew” - a word which I believe is very similar in its usage in some significant ways.

Now, the word “Jew” has been used as a derogatory term for literally hundreds of years. It is used both as a noun (eg. “That guy ripped me off - what a dirty Jew”) and as a verb (eg. “That guy really Jew-ed me”). These usages are deeply, fundamentally, horrifically offensive, and should be used under no circumstances, ever. And yet, I myself have heard both, even as recently as this past year, even in an urban location with plenty of Jews, in a social situation where people should have known better. In short – the word “Jew”, as it is used by certain antisemites, is – quite unambiguously – a slur. Not a dead slur, not a former slur – and active, living slur that most Jews will at some point in their life encounter in a context where the term is being used to denigrate them and their religion. 

Now here’s the thing, though: I’m a Jew. I call myself a Jew. I prefer that all non-Jews call me a Jew – so do most Jews I know. “Jew” is the correct term for someone who is part of the religion of Judaism, the same way that “Muslim” is the correct term for someone who is part of the religion of Islam, and “Christian” is the correct term for someone who is part of the religion of Christianity. 

In fact, almost all of the terms that non-Jews use to avoid saying “Jew” (eg. “a member of the Jewish persuasion”, “a follower of the Jewish faith”, “coming from a Jewish family”, “identifying as part of the Jewish religion”, etc) are deeply offensive, because these terms imply to us that the speaker sees the term “Jew” (and by extension, what that term stands for) as a dirty word.

“BUT WAIT” – I hear you say – “didn’t you just say that Jew is used as a slur?!?”

Yes. Yes, I did. And also, it is fundamentally offensive not to call us that, because it is our name and our identity.

Let me back up a little bit, and bring you into the world of one of those 2000s PSAs about not using “that’s so gay”. Think of some word that is your identity – something which you consider to be a fundamental and intrinsic part of yourself. It could be “female” or “male”, or “Black” or “white”, “tall” or “short”, “Atheist” or “Mormon” or “Evangelical” – you name it.

Now imagine that people started using that term as a slur.

“What a female thing to do!” they might say. “That teacher doesn’t know anything, he’s so female!”

Or maybe, “Yikes, look at that idiot who’s driving like an atheist. It’s so embarrassing!”

Or perhaps, “Oh gross, that music is so Black, turn it off!”

Now, what would you say if the same groups of people who had been saying those things for years turned around and avoided using those words to describe anything other than an insult?

“Oh, so I see you’re a member of the female persuasion!”

“Is he… a follower of the atheist beliefs? Like does he identify as part of the community of atheist-aligned individuals?”

“So, as a Black-ish identified person yourself – excuse me, as a person who comes from a Black-ish family…”

Here’s the fundamental problem with treating all words that are used as slurs the same, without any regard for how they are used and how they developed – not all slurs are the same.

No one, and I mean no one (except maybe for a small handful of angsty teens who are deliberately making a point of being edgy) self-identifies as a kike. In contrast, essentially all Jews self-identify as Jews. And when non-Jews get weird about that identity on the grounds that “Jew is used as a slur”, despite the fact that it is the name that the Jewish community as a whole resoundingly identifies with, what they are basically saying is that they think that the slur usage is more important than the Jewish community self-identification usage. They are saying, in essence, “we think that your name should be a slur.” 

Now, at the top I said that the word “Jew” and the word “queer” had some significant similarities in terms of their usage, and I think that’s pretty apparent if you look at what people in those communities are saying about those terms. When American Jews were being actively threatened by neo-Nazis in the 70s, the slogan of choice was “For every Jew a .22!″. When the American Queer community was marching in the 90s in protest of systemic anti-queer violence, the slogan of choice was “We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it!” Clearly, these are terms that are used by the communities themselves, in reference to themselves. Clearly, these terms are more than simply slurs.

But while there are useful similarities between how the terms “Jew” and “Queer” are used by bigots and by their own communities, I’d also like to point out that there is pretty substantial and important difference:

Unlike for “queer”, there is no organized group of Jewish antisemites who are using the catchphrase “Jew is a slur!” in order to selectively silence and disenfranchise Jews who are part of minority groups within Judaism. 

This is the real rub with the term queer – no one was campaigning about it being a slur until less than a decade ago. No one was saying that you needed to warn for the word queer when queer people were establishing the academic discipline of queer studies. No one was ‘think of the children”-ing the umbrella term when queer activists were literally marching for their lives. Go back to even 2010 and the term “q slur” would have been basically unparseable – if I saw someone tag something “q slur”, like most queer people I would have wracked my brains trying to figure out what slur even started with q, and if I learned that it was supposed to be “queer”, my default assumption would be that the post was made by a well-meaning but extremely clueless straight person.

I literally remember this shift – and I remember who started it. Exclusionists didn’t like the fact that queer was an umbrella term. Terfs (or radfems as they like to be called now) didn’t like that queer history included trans history; biphobes and aphobes didn’t like that the queer community was also a community to bisexuals and asexuals. And so what could they possibly say, to drive people away from the term that was protecting the sorts of queer people that they wanted to exclude?

Well, naturally, they turned to “queer is a slur.”

And here’s the thing – queer is a slur, just like Jew is a slur, and no one is denying that. And that fact makes “queer is a slur so don’t use it” a very convincing argument on the surface: 1) queer is still often used as a slur, and 2) you shouldn’t ever use slurs without carefully tagging and warning people about them (and better yet, you should never use them at all), and so therefore 3) you need to tag for “the q slur” and you need to warn people not to call the community “the queer community” or it’s members “queer people” or its study “queer studies” – because it’s a slur!

But the crucial step that’s missing here is exactly the same one above, for the word “Jew” – and that step is that not all slurs are the same. When a term is both used as a slur and used as a self-identity term, then favoring the slur meaning instead of the identity meaning is picking the side of the slur-users over the disadvantaged group! 

If you say or tag “q slur” you are sending the message, whether you realize it or not, that people who use “queer” as a slur are more right about its meaning than those who use it as their identity. Tagging for “queer” is one thing. People can filter for “queer” if it triggers them, just like people can filter for anything else. Not everyone has to personally use the term queer, or like the term queer. But there is no circumstance where the term “q slur” does not indicate that you think queer is more of a slur than of an accurate description of a community.

If I, as a Jew, ever came across a post where someone had warned for innocent, positive, non-antisemitic content relating to Judaism with the tag “J slur”, I would be incensed. So would any Jew. The act of tagging a post “J slur” is in and of itself antisemitic and offensive.

Queer people are allowed to feel the same about “q slur”. It is not a neutral warning term – it is an attack on our identity.

[cinderstorm]

This advertisement is for Swordcrossed by Freya Marske.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

Mattinesh Jay, dutiful heir to his struggling family business, needs to hire an experienced swordsman to serve as best man for his arranged marriage. What he can afford, unfortunately, is part-time con artist and full-time charming menace Luca Piere. Luca is trying to reinvent himself in a new city. He didn't plan on being blackmailed into giving sword lessons to a chronically responsible—and inconveniently handsome—wool merchant like Matti. When Luca’s secrets threaten to drive a blade through their growing alliance, both Matti and Luca will have to answer the question: how many lies are you prepared to strip away, when the truth could mean losing everything you want?

[cinderstorm]

Special deal for the month of November: 25% off all of my standard editorial packages. I offer affordable critiques on everything from short stories to epic novels—whether you want to polish up an existing manuscript or you’re lost in the weeds of a difficult project, I offer plenty of options to choose from. And remember: the first 500 words are free of charge!

Beta Reading Service Now Open

Hey, y'all! I'm looking to make some extra cash this month, so I am offering up my beta reading services to anyone who might be interested. Options range from sentence-by-sentence editorial work to more general critique on plot/story/characterization/etc. I specialize in adult fantasy, but I'm also well-read in sci-fi, young adult, and romance.

Rates and services are listed below, but if you have a project that doesn't quite fit within those categories, let me know, and we can discuss pricing. Additionally, I am willing to beta read up to 500 words free of charge, so that you can get a sense of what sort of critique you'll be getting with these services.

For in-depth edits, including sentence-by-sentence line edits plus a number of more extensive general comments, my rates are as follows:

Basic package: Up to 2000 words, with 2-3 general comments. Cost: $20.

Intermediate package: 2000-5000 words, with 3-5 general comments. Cost: $35.

Luxury package: 5000-10,000 words, with 7-10 general comments. Cost: $60

For more general critique, I focus more on big picture issues such as story structure/characterization/pacing/etc. As with the above packages, I offer a set number of comments with detailed explanations for any proposed changes, as well as useful tools for refining your WIP. However, this service does not include line edits, as it is meant to focus on larger-scale revisions. Comments may be given at the end of chapters/scenes, or at the end of the complete document, as per preference of the client. My rates are as follows:

Basic critique: Up to 10,000 words, this critique will include 7-10 general comments. Cost: $30

Intermediate critique: Up to 25,000 words, this critique will include 20-25 general comments. Cost: $60

Luxury critique: Up to 50,000 words, this critique will include 40-50 general comments. Cost: $100

My turnaround time depends on the scope of the project. However, for Basic or Intermediate packages, you can generally expect delivery within 3 business days. For Luxury packages, delivery may take up to 10 business days. I accept payments primarily via PayPal or Apple Cash, but am open to other payment methods.

[cinderstorm]

Swordcrossed by Freya Marske is a romance that's both cozy and a scorching hot bodyguard fantasy.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT

Mattinesh Jay is the chronically responsible eldest son and dutiful heir striving to keep his family’s business running. Luca Piere is a menace of a con artist desperately trying to escape his past by taking up the blade. When the pair meet, swords clash, and sparks fly. Soon, they’re entangled in a conspiracy that may bring Matti’s house to ruin if they don’t work together.

[cinderstorm]

[P]eople may not be capable of writing 1000 words specifically, and that 500 or 250 might only be within reach. Or they might only be able to find the time to write once or twice a week or maybe once a month. Or if you’re a poet, maybe you’re just writing a poem a week or something like that, and that’s actually a lot of work. So “1000 words” has become more of a metaphor within the project for “a good day’s work.”

Jami Attenberg

[cinderstorm]

“Are you the witch who turned eleven princes into swans?”

The old woman stared at the figure on the front step of her cottage and considered her options. It was the kind of question usually backed up by a mob with meaningful torches, and it was the kind of question she tried to avoid.

Coming from a single dusty, tired housewife, it should’ve held no terrors.

“You a cop?”

The housewife twisted the hem of her apron. “No,” she muttered. “I’m a swan.”

A raven croaked somewhere in the woods. Wind whispered in the autumn leaves.

Then: “I think I can guess,” the old woman said slowly. “Husband stole your swan skin and forced you to marry him?”

A nod.

“And you can’t turn back into a swan until you find your skin again.”

A nod.

“But I reckon he’s hidden it, or burned it, or keeps it locked up so you can’t touch it.”

A tiny, miserable nod.

“And then you hear that old Granny Rothbart who lives out in the woods is really a batty old witch whose father taught her how to turn princes into swans,” the old woman sighed. “And you think, ‘Hey, stuff the old skin, I can just turn into a swan again this way.’

“But even if that was true – which I haven’t said if it is or if it isn’t – I’d say that I can only do it to make people miserable. I’m an awful person. I can’t do it out of the goodness of my heart. I have no goodness. I can’t use magic to make you feel better. I only wish I could.”

Another pause. “If I was a witch,” she added.

The housewife chewed the inside of her cheek. Then she drew herself up and, for the first time, looked the old woman in the eyes.

“Can you do it to make my husband miserable?”

The old woman considered her options. Then she pulled the wand out from the umbrella stand by the door. It was long, and silver, and a tiny glass swan with open wings stood perched on the tip.

“I can work with that,” said the witch.

[cinderstorm]

Beta Reading Service Now Open

Hey, y'all! I'm looking to make some extra cash this month, so I am offering up my beta reading services to anyone who might be interested. Options range from sentence-by-sentence editorial work to more general critique on plot/story/characterization/etc. I specialize in adult fantasy, but I'm also well-read in sci-fi, young adult, and romance.

Rates and services are listed below, but if you have a project that doesn't quite fit within those categories, let me know, and we can discuss pricing. Additionally, I am willing to beta read up to 500 words free of charge, so that you can get a sense of what sort of critique you'll be getting with these services.

For in-depth edits, including sentence-by-sentence line edits plus a number of more extensive general comments, my rates are as follows:

Basic package: Up to 2000 words, with 2-3 general comments. Cost: $20.

Intermediate package: 2000-5000 words, with 3-5 general comments. Cost: $35.

Luxury package: 5000-10,000 words, with 7-10 general comments. Cost: $60

For more general critique, I focus more on big picture issues such as story structure/characterization/pacing/etc. As with the above packages, I offer a set number of comments with detailed explanations for any proposed changes, as well as useful tools for refining your WIP. However, this service does not include line edits, as it is meant to focus on larger-scale revisions. Comments may be given at the end of chapters/scenes, or at the end of the complete document, as per preference of the client. My rates are as follows:

Basic critique: Up to 10,000 words, this critique will include 7-10 general comments. Cost: $30

Intermediate critique: Up to 25,000 words, this critique will include 20-25 general comments. Cost: $60

Luxury critique: Up to 50,000 words, this critique will include 40-50 general comments. Cost: $100

My turnaround time depends on the scope of the project. However, for Basic or Intermediate packages, you can generally expect delivery within 3 business days. For Luxury packages, delivery may take up to 10 business days. I accept payments primarily via PayPal or Apple Cash, but am open to other payment methods.

[cinderstorm]

finally decided to sit down and watch the incredibles again. there will be no commentary because i’m gonna be too busy watching it

[cinderstorm]

The building of rage

[cinderstorm]

Everina Maxwell, Ocean’s Echo

[cinderstorm]

No point in particular I'm trying to make, it just occurred to me I started writing my first shadowgast fanfic around this time FOUR YEARS AGO, and I still think about them EVERY DAY and still write sappy/horny/sappy-and-horny fics about HOW IN LOVE THEY ARE, and somehow canon keeps ENABLING ME (no spoilers), and I'm not alone in this!!!

[cinderstorm]

This is I think, my best prep tip as a DM:

When the players are about to visit a new town, pre-generate several NPCs who fit the demographics of the town, but don't give them jobs. Your town is Mostly human, with a number of halflings and gnomes? Make a list that's mostly humans with some halflings and gnomes mixed in, with names that match the vibe you're going for and maybe the barest description + a quirk of some sort.

So the list would look something like this:

Ophelia Bracegurdle, older Halfling woman who laughs a lot

Norabecka Johnson, a young human woman who seems tired

Geraldofinio Babblecock Nimsy, gnome gentleman who takes pains to maintain a fabulous mustache

Etc.

Then, when the players are like, "Can I go to the blacksmith?" You look at your list of NPCs and the one at the top is Ophelia Bracegurdle. She's your blacksmith now. Then they want to go to the tavern, where Norabecka is the innkeeper and Geraldofinio is a patron having a drink at the bar. He's using a straw so he doesn't mess up his mustache.

If they had gone to the inn first, Ophelia would have been the innkeeper with Norabecka as the patron, and then Geraldofinio should have been a blacksmith with some sort of mustache guard to keep the sparks off.

Making the list ahead of time doesn't take much time, and you can often re-use the people you never got to at the next town.

Your world will seem vibrant and interesting and like you have everything planned out.

Have fun!

[cinderstorm]

*pulls up to the fanfic drive-thru window* uh yeah, i’ll take a fake relationship with a side of mutual pining and thinking the other isn’t interested, thanks

[cinderstorm]

dissertation writing advice

[cinderstorm]

I really think people have forgotten just how bad things were under the Trump Administration. Literally every day there was news about some service being cut or someone terrible appointed somewhere they shouldn't be or what have you. He constantly flirted with WW3 and military dictatorship. It was such a blur of badness that there aren't big standouts for people to point to to make him "the XYZ president." it was everything. all the time. Why do we not remember this.