darkfirefae

[darkfirefae]

[darkfirefae]

[darkfirefae]

"we want to take care of each other, and if that's 'radical,' then something is wrong."

saw someone else write this in a comment section and i couldn't say it better myself. human rights issues are so often reduced to political partisanship---and the weaponization of this kind of rhetoric restrains the social progress of humanity, whether consciously or not. it allows us to dismiss real hatred and discrimination that goes far beyond partisan politics in the name of political civility. and for those who don't participate in the idea of political civility, it further distorts the innocuous movement for the equal rights of all people into a targeted, malicious and personal attack on someone's values, pitting two sides against each other over humanitarian issues that should be entirely non-partisan.

supporting ideology that calls for the extermination or oppression of a group of people should not be considered a "political opinion." these are issues that threaten people's right to dignity and life. the mindset of "it's just politics" and "it's just an opinion that everyone is entitled to" is a dangerous and slippery slope, one that has facilitated those in our past to turn a blind eye in the face of horrific mass genocide. it's damaging to mask bigotry and oppression under the misnomer of politics.

it should also not be the norm that, if one chooses to ignore or uphold the clear violation of another person's human rights under the guise of political civility, it is seen as "peaceful," or ironically, in our christocentric country, as "loving thy neighbor." these are issues that challenge our fundamental right to be human day-to-day, and this is a conversation that everybody is a part of regardless of whether they think it aligns with their political beliefs and regardless of whether they want to be involved or not. so no, i do not believe that it is correct to say that, for instance, in the recent 2024 election, it is "contributing to a society of division" when a person questions their relationships with people who support the trump campaign's hateful and oppressive beliefs, or that it is "radicalized" to stand firmly in protest of them. because truthfully it isn't based on political differences, but on the reality that the 2024 election was an election that trivialized human rights.

i acknowledge that social politics are largely what define partisan politics today and that it is nearly impossible to separate the two, as social politics are often presented by our politicians as issues that affect all the other areas of politics as well. however, i believe that this is an idea that has been long built and established by the two-party system to develop the political agendas of each party, muddying our ability to distinguish the difference between when we should use pragmatism, empathy, or our identity to guide our beliefs. this is not so much a rant focusing on political extremism or the far-right, but to highlight the pernicious nature of conflating humanitarianism with politics. it's not a left-wing problem or a right-wing problem, it's a universal societal state. i hope for a day we are able to, as a society, understand that advocating for the basic rights of others is a choice that transcends political sides---a choice that is deeply rooted in who you are as a person, who we are as a people, and the future you're choosing for our world.

[darkfirefae]

[darkfirefae]

A compilation of ✨Twilight Star-Show Max Lucifer Topper III✨'s outfits

[darkfirefae]

Really simple things I do in my fantasy writing (that may help you as well, who knows)

Here are just a few things I implement as much as possible to improve the quality of my drafts. You don't need to use them 100% of the time, and they're better used after zero and first drafts, but you may find that on occasion, little tweaks like this can drastically change the text, the style, the impact, and hopefully for the better.

Try to avoid numbering anything specifically. There's never a "fifty years passed", or "she was twenty-three summers old". Allow the writing to be vague in this regard. If relevant, try to show the passing of time in architecture, technology, phrases, changes in the characters features, abilities, eyesight etc. and for the mention of ages, unless absolutely necessary, descriptions, mannerisms and worldliness of your characters will help the reader to determine estimated age ranges. Specifics add little, and there are better ways to show it. This goes with objects too, instead of "she purchased two tomes" it would be "she made her purchases, a leather bound tome embossed with a silver horned horse, and a lighter, most-ancient book, its pages torn and translucent." Give yourself opportunities to expand on information, adding atmosphere and sensation to the experience wherever you can. This isn't to say you can't have timelines etc. it's just giving more opportunity to better show.

Show don't tell. Yes, that ol' chestnut. But, specifically in regards to the character's internal monologues, thoughts and motivations. Instead of "Mávrik bit down on the end of his cigar, omitting his part in the discussion. He did not, could not, trust her. " You can cut out the parts in red that blatantly explain or tell his inner thoughts and simply use: "Mávrik bit down on the end of his cigar —"we entertain the vitjá [witch] now?" Add personality and flair with dialogue or actions. This allows the reader to fully engage in the story for themselves. From the context of the scene, the reader can guess at and determine the character's thoughts for themselves. You want to try and do this as effectively as possible. The more you opt to blatantly explain every angle, the less there is for the reader to think about and immerse themselves in.

Give all scenes purpose and move the story onward. This is likely going to be the most controversial tip in the list, but I stand by it regardless. Yes, this includes those beloved downtime scenes. Be inventive and deliberate in how you dress these scenes. Whether to show a new or developing facet of a relationship, a new location which will further expand our idea of your detailed world. Even downtime scenes should be in, some way, relevant to the plot. Is it a moment of calm before the storm/climax? An emotional breather that followed something traumatic? All scenes should have multiple, compelling components, intertwining both character and plot. Which leads into:

Have your characters doing something, always. Please, for the love of all is holy, unholy, infinite and unknown, give your characters things to do. Yes, even in downtime. I do not want to read another doorstop novel that repeatedly brings its characters to the same dinner table scene to discuss absolutely nothing of note (looking at you, SJ Maas.) As previously stated, think of every scene having a purpose. Perhaps it will reveal a character's hobby, grooming habits, their vices and addictions, or particular talent. Please, have your characters actively doing things. Because people do things, lots of things, a lot of the time.

Be creative in the ways you show the passing of time. Use day and night cycles, the habitat, nocturnal and diurnal fauna, instead of "at midnight" consider something along the lines of "the bloated moon hovered above them" or instead of "summer rolled into fall/autumn" describe the sights and sounds of the season(s), "the crisp, warm air grew heavy, clammy and thick with rot."

Remove any and all instances of "suddenly," "in-between breaths", "in a beat" and, my own personal favourite, "for a moment." I'm sorry, look I know they haunt me too, but they're useless filler and serve no real purpose. I've got nothing here to say beyond delete them, cut them out of your life, you and your draft deserve better.

Make your word-count count. I don't care if your book is a doorstopper at 700 pages or more when the novel isn't densely packed with compelling story, character development and plot. Yes, plot, my beloved. Be brutal with stripping away useless words, phrases, characters analyzing their own experiences to the reader, meta, repetition (unless deliberate) scenes that do nothing for either characters or plot - though at this point you should be aiming to hit both. Trust that your reader can follow the story without over-explaining and constantly reiterating, again and again. Trust me, we got it, we get it.

Write active characters but have their dialogue serve as mostly reactionary. Dialogue typically occurs as a reaction, to another person, an event, a question, an interesting/relevant observation. It helps the dialogue sound more natural, fluid, a back-and-forth. By having characters talk in this manner, about something, or directly to someone else, you avoid the trap of characters sounding too self-aware. Dialogue should reveal things about a character, but in an abstract way in relation to the scene/plot/interaction, a character should never just outright say exactly what they're thinking/feeling.

These, like all writing suggestions, are not hard rules, they aren't set in stone and I don't offer them with the intent of you tearing your manuscript apart, but if you choose to practice a couple of them, see how you feel. If you like them once you've tried them, attempt to implement them more frequently. Happy writing! 🌞

- fáe

[darkfirefae]

Dropping this over here just because

[darkfirefae]

Don't forget the SD card slots, phones need those too!

I think all computers should have cd slots and all phones should have headphone ports send tumble

[darkfirefae]

[darkfirefae]

This is actually a baby reindeer

[darkfirefae]

Mama void with all of her voidlings 🖤🐈

[darkfirefae]

[darkfirefae]

A little brown bunny was so kind and sweet it stretched its whole body out and got long enough to go to sleep

[darkfirefae]

Won't eat: 21

Add in the ones I Can't eat: 27

Be easier to just count the ones I can/will eat

This could be fun. I scored 11. How about you?

[darkfirefae]

[darkfirefae]

Just a little reminder for anyone who could use it. ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭♡ It feels validating to have your efforts acknowledged.

Chibird store | Positive pin club | Instagram

[darkfirefae]

Two Americas. Blue > Red.