#I have a lot of feelings on this. as I love history. Psychology. and literature and the Iliad/Odyssey to ME is all 3

[dootznbootz]

To ME, The Iliad and The Odyssey are about the different reactions to trauma and "hate".

The Iliad is about how a man gets destroyed by hatred. Achilles is "destroyed" metaphorically because his hatred and grief caused him to lose his "humanity". Hector is killed by a man filled with so much hatred (Achilles). Both men are "gone".

The Odyssey, being what happens directly after, is about how a man can come BACK from such hatred. Menelaus and Nestor, while still in pain from the war (the time, friends, and family they lost), are still able to move forward and live normal lives. We watch this happen in real time through Odysseus.

Odysseus' name means to hate and be hated, something he's been probably doing since he left Ithaca to a degree. You could even see the slaughter of the suitors as being the "final fight" he has to go through before the "healing". He gains back his humanity, kingdom, and identity by loving and being loved. (Niko's post about Odysseus and his identity. It delves further into all that well!)

Some people are lost to war and some people CAN come back from it. While the ancients (of every culture as well!) didn't have the semi-universal term PTSD yet, they knew damn well people who have experienced trauma tend to be "different" afterward and had their own stories and even some "remedies"

Other ancient works, such as those by Hippocrates, describe soldiers who experienced frightening battle dreams. (Source, whole article gives more info on ancient PTSD too!)

Celsus, a Roman doctor described a condition named Insania sine fibre.

In Ancient Mesopotamia, “They described hearing and seeing ghosts talking to them, who would be the ghosts of people they’d killed in battle – and that’s exactly the experience of modern-day soldiers who’ve been involved in close hand-to-hand combat.” (Source)

This is my own interpretation, but in a way, I think the Epic Cycle is...showcasing that. The Iliad shows how trauma can "end" a person. And The Odyssey is kind of a way to give some hope to folks in a "Hey, you CAN get better. You CAN have your life back."

[booksinmythorax]

So you're an adult who wants to start reading for fun, but you don't know where to start

I'm a librarian, and I hear at least once a week from people who sheepishly tell me that they'd love to start reading for fun (for the first time or after a long break). Here's my best advice broken down into bullet points, but start here: there is no shame in being a beginner.

-Think about what you do enjoy and start from there. So you're not a book person. Do you like movies? Television? Podcasts? Music? Tabletop games? Video games? What other media do you like and what does it have in common? Make a little list and Venn diagram that shit.

Maybe you're into stories about fucked-up families (Sharp Objects, Succession) or found families (lots of realplay TTRPG podcasts, Leverage, Avatar: The Last Airbender) or fucked-up found families (various Batman media, Steven Universe, The Good Place). Maybe you mainly watch or listen to stuff for the romance (Taylor Swift music, The Best Man, Heartstopper) or the sci-fi horror (The Magnus Archives, M3gan, Nope) or the romantic sci-fi horror (Welcome to Night Vale). And hey, maybe you're not a fictional media person at all. What do you like? What do you want to know about? World history? True crime? Home improvement? Birdwatching? Gardening? Various animals and their behavior? Human psychology? Cooking? If it's a thing, there are books about it. Start there.

Think about why you started to dislike reading. Did an adult snatch a book you thought looked cool out of your hands and say "Don't read that, it's below your reading level/above your reading level/a comic, not a real book"? Did school give you an endless parade of miserable, bleak books and tell you they were universal stories about the human condition? Or did it maybe only give you stories with saccharine, unearned happy endings, or only show you stories about straight cis wealthy abled white kids, or keep you from reading entire books at all in favor of endlessly dissecting tiny passages out of context? (For some vindication, check out "How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading" by John Holt.) Did you have an older sibling or a friend who was better at reading? Did adults put you in competition with that other kid and make you feel like shit about it? Were you in a situation where you were good at reading in one language, or even more than one, but required to read in another that you were still learning? Did this make you feel like you were "behind schedule" or like you shouldn't read at all? Or was reading just harder for you than it seemed for other people? Did reading give you headaches? Did the letters or numbers seem to float around on the page? Was it hard for you to focus for long enough to get through a whole book? Did you need to learn to read differently than the kids around you could? Did adults punish you for this instead of helping you? (Look, I'm not a doctor, but if any of these apply to you, consider going to an optometrist, a psychologist, and/or a psychiatrist to talk about these things if they're persistent and interfere with your life.) Or maybe you're burned out on reading. Maybe you did an advanced degree in literature or writing or history or some other reading-heavy discipline and you're just tired. Maybe your professors or classmates got snobby about what constituted "literary" works and their good opinion didn't line up with what you actually enjoy. You get to be sad and angry about these things, if they happened to you. They're also clues to how to move forward if you'd like to read more, or enjoy reading more.

Give yourself permission to read whatever you want, in whatever way you want. Wanna start with young adult books? Middle grade books? Awesome. Many of them have stories that are sophisticated and complex. Starting with re-reading the first books you enjoyed reading could help jog your memory about why you initially found it fun. Hell, even picture books are a good start. Have you read a picture book lately? Those things are getting cooler every day. Comics and graphic novels? Those count as reading. Many of them are published for adults, though again, the ones published for a middle-grade or young adult audience are often complex and moving. If you're an anime fan, give manga a shot. The source material for many anime go deeper into the characters and stories, especially now that anime seasons are often truncated to 12 episodes for entire series. (The right-to-left thing is easier to get used to than you think, too.) Romance novels and mystery thrillers and science fiction and fantasy? Those count as reading. Many of the things you might have liked about the books you read as a child or a teenager are present in adult "genre" fiction, and many of the things you might despise about adult "literary" fiction (god, I hate that word, but that's another post) may be absent from those titles. E-books and audiobooks definitely count as reading, and they're often more accessible than paper books for some people. Anybody who tries to genre- or format-shame you is a dick and not worth talking to.

Go to your local library. All right, shameless self-promotion here, I'll admit it. But I promise you, if you walk into a library and say "I'm an adult, I stopped reading a while ago, and I'd like to start back up again but I need suggestions," you will make someone's day. I get asked for my opinion about books approximately once a month. I get asked how to use the printer approximately eighty-five times a day. I love helping with the printer and I'm saying that unironically, but my colleagues and I absolutely adore "readers' advisory" questions. If you come with the answers to the above questions about your preferred genres, formats, and reasons you'd like to read, it'll help the process, but most of us are trained to ask follow-up questions to get you the best possible book match. Do not apologize. You are not bothering us. It is literally part of our job. We want people to know that reading is fun, and you are a people.

[goldnhourwrites]

HEARTSTEEL COLLEGE AU HEADCANONS

This phrase seized me yesterday and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. Who knows, maybe I'll write a fic :)

inspired by my experiences as a college student in the US!

Yone

Pre-med student with a minor in psychology

Does peer tutoring and notetaking for his biology classes

always doing work. being a pre-med student is so much Work All The Time. this is why Yone is always seen with coffee and dark circles under his eyes.

He manages fairly well for someone with so much on his plate - he keeps an impressively functional sleep schedule (goes to bed at 10pm every night, wakes up at 8am every morning)

Is an RA (resident advisor) for his dorm floor and tries to be a good resource for freshmen

Bikes everywhere, enjoys taking walks/getting outdoors for a break from studying

Likes to make and listen to music in his free time (which is not a lot)

Sett

Majoring in athletic training to be a sports coach

Student athlete on the wrestling team - spends a lot of time training and traveling to meets off-campus, so he's not around much until the off-season

Hangs out with the boxing club when he's not doing wrestling

Part of an all-men a capella group and enjoys singing/rapping

Joined a fraternity in his sophomore year because most of the wrestling team was on it and enjoys chilling with his friends in it

Casually bakes things in his free time and brings them to the wrestling team/his classmates/office hours/his frat brothers

K'Sante

Anthropology major, education minor - interested in becoming a teacher/professor and enjoys working with kids

Also a student athlete, on the powerlifting team

Part of a hip-hop dance group on campus and likes to choreograph

Involved in campus queer life and helps organize/run events

Takes voice lessons - used to play trumpet, but didn't have time for both in his schedule

Also part of a fraternity, enjoys the sense of community it offers and plays an active part in organizing/managing their social events

Seems like he's constantly busy, but always makes time for his friends and enjoys the feeling of being on-the-go

Ezreal

History major with a minor in classics (studies Latin/ancient Greek literature and languages)

Acts with a theater club in his spare time - loves musical theater and plays, especially Shakespeare

Hung out in the history/special collections section of the library so much he got a student job there

Loves wandering around campus to find cool, obscure places that he's probably not supposed to be in

Joined a debate team in his freshman year (Kayn was on it) (they hated each other)

Big on going to parties but can't handle alcohol so instead of getting drunk he goes back to his dorm and falls asleep at like 11pm

Aphelios

Computer science major with a minor in graphic design

Does digital art and traditional art; enjoys taking studio art classes when his schedule isn't full

Occasionally does game design and similar coding projects

In the orchestra and plays the violin!

Enjoys physically making things every once in a while - jewelry, paintings, etc. and often doodles in a sketchbook absentmindedly

Sometimes publishes his art and poetry in a student magazine under a pseudonym

Kayn

Political science or government major with a minor in studio art

Spends a lot of time in the woodworking/metalworking studios, partially for art classes and partially because he just likes hands-on projects

Plays electric guitar and was part of a student band for a while (the one he got kicked out of)

Likes parkour and rock climbing, regularly shows off his ability to climb up things that he definitely should not be climbing on

Member of a fraternity (but it's the kind that throws a bunch of parties and probably has illegal drugs)

Goes out to party every weekend and doesn't wake up until 1pm the next day

Skateboards everywhere and knows a bunch of cool tricks

Alune

Film production major with a minor in biology

Part of a fashion design club and does photoshoots for/with them

Does a capella and loves performing! Does musical theater every once in a while

Active in political causes on campus

Works as a barista in one of the campus cafés

Likes to roller skate around

i have a couple combined/group headcanons that i'll post tomorrow if i have time :3 this AU has grabbed me and is currently shaking me by the shoulders and won't let go

[skye707]

What do you think the Riddlers' would teach as High School teachers and/or College Professors?

They would be outstanding at the art of roasting high schoolers

Unburied - Debate. I feel like this Riddler in particular can talk his way out of any jam. Also, it's awesome for his ego to destroy a high schooler's argument.

ZY - History. Any kind of history, or all of them? He'd showboat on his knowledge and ability articulate historical themes until the institution gave him every history position. Also gets a power trip from roasting high schoolers.

Dano - Computer Science. Programming. Anything that has to do with computers. All the nerdy kids in his class love him, and he eats lunch with them in his room. But that's definitely not because the other teachers think he's weird, so don't even think that.

YJ - Dorky Coach that got asked to teach math because he said he was good at it once in passing and the school can't find a teacher. Steps in the room on the first day and is immediately out of his depth. But he is good at math, so the kids that want to learn get a lot out of it.

Gotham - English. He's got a knack for literature and composition as well as an innate desire to tell people the right way to say something. However, students hate him because he's the strictest grader on campus. Never given a perfect score in his life.

BTAA - Drama. The biggest drama queen. Finds ways (ethical or not) to help his students find their inner artists. Gets his high from the applause after a performance, even if he wasn't the one actually performing. His students' parents are clapping for him in his heart.

Arkham - Engineering, but only at the university level. He doesn't have time for the childish ways of teenagers. Gets way too excited during lectures and always ends up screaming by the end. Sometimes a student will try to debate a topic and the rest of the class can break out the popcorn as the two begin to verbally spar for the duration of the class period.

BTAS - Digital Art. He knows how to use every computer program every created and will teach his students how to as well. May or may not have found a way for his students to illegally download whatever they need, but no one needs to know that. Plus, their art is amazing so who cares!

Telltale - Psychology and Sociology. Another one that's only working with adults. Understanding the mind is the first step to taking advantage of it. People are very stupid and teaching a class like this could possibly improve the intelligence of the youth of tomorrow (but his hopes aren't very high).

[girliestwomaninstem]

introductory post (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*

Hellooo <3 I've been on Tumblr for a few years now, however, lately I have become a bit of a slacker in terms of my student and professional life and a lot of y'all have inspired me to get a studyblr + accountability blog to help keep myself in check, focused and driven

🌻 about me ♡

name: tofu

age: 23

pronouns: she/her

zodiac: ⊙ aries, ☽ scorpio, ↑ scorpio

languages I speak: english, hindi, japanese (beginner)

🌻 my favourite subjects ♡

- academic: chemistry, cybersecurity, creative writing, biology, personal finance, physics, discrete math, intro to programming (the easiest part about a cs degree yet daunting)

- non-academic: cosmetic science, psychology, literature, ancient/modern history, physics, astronomy, linguistics

I'm trying to once again pick up hobbies that I used to have as a child, such as reading, singing, gardening, cooking/baking, scrapbooking

In my free time, I love watching asian soap operas, Studio Ghibli, and sitcoms that I'd like to call my comfort shows and video essays related to all my non-academic subject interests

I'm an undergrad student currently enrolled in a computer science/fintech double major and I'm preparing either to enter the workforce or pursue a masters in either quantitative finance or bioinformatics engineering or data science (wow, the existential crisis that came with typing up that sentence). I could also talk more about my interests in the above-mentioned subject areas, or new ones as they come up. My goal is to create a routine for myself that I can actually stick to, and spend each day having learnt at least something, no matter how small. I feel like the only way to achieve that is by comparing myself to my peers (I know that is v toxic but hey it helps). Additionally I really want to learn how to drive this year, learn to crochet and keep up with new technologies, do some art journalling to take my mind off stress.

I'm so excited to meet new people on here and keep myself busy and productive! ❤️

[corpsepng]

Pls make a list of books you recommend to aspiring writers<3

Ok. Aspiring/burgeoning writer starter kit:

In writing anything you officially become a writer so that’s step one haha, no need to aspire too much. BUT. I’m going to soapbox for a bit using this ask as an excuse love u kissing u etc. So. This will barely be about books, but sort of the recipe of what I (personally and subjectively) think will help anyone who wants to grow their craft. (I know because I've been writing seriously for 14 years)

The act of writing is the best practice you can get but having a well from which to draw on creatively and skill wise in order to DO that practice is the trickier part. And sometimes we can be found lacking because we’re either NOT refilling that well enough, consciously enough, or only with the same sorts of things so it gets stagnant. This is a long one so I’ll shove it under the cut haha.

The recipe:

Study craft

Broaden horizons 

Diversify consumption

Consume with intention

Apply with reference

1) Study craft: this is the easiest to make sense of, right? I want to get good at writing so I read books about writing yada yada. Whatever you’re writing, it’s made up of a lot of moving parts, and you can dedicate time studying EACH PART, but figure out what you have the least experience with, or the most difficulty with, and start there. Also, before I go on to preach about why you shouldn’t solely stake your growth on some dusty old books, here’s some dusty old books I recommend:

The Elements of Style (strunk/white/kalman) (really quick and abbreviated advice, read every bit of this but remember: rules are important to know so you can decide which are worth following and which are in need of breaking for the pursuit of your goals. And nobodies perfect, or editors wouldn’t have a job)

Bird by Bird (Anne Lamott) (excellent work about fostering a process, important for everyone who finds themselves a little lost on how to just. Start)

Wonderbook (Jeff Vandermeer) (I haven’t read this one but knowing Vandermeers work this is on my TBR and I KNOW it’s going to be enlightening)

How to Read Literature like a Professor (Thomas C. Foster) (perfect for those who can see others stories working but unsure how to make their own work, I personally didn’t read much of this one but this will help people to more critically engage with what they’re consuming)

Save the Cat Writes a Novel/Joseph Campbells Hero’s Journey/On Writing and Worldbuilding/etc (all of these are on structure and craft in a concrete sense), I would recommend either choose one OR getting the abbreviated/digestible versions through YouTube because a lot of these can repeat themselves. I’m working on a playlist of writing craft/structure videos that I found helpful, so keep an eye out for that)

So. Studying craft should be a multidisciplinary process. Articles online, videos on niche media, books on craft or copying things from your favorites, looking for yourself in the movies you watch or fiction you read. Punctuation, prose, structure, rhetoric, character, world building, pacing, etc. Unfortunately, no matter how seasoned you become as a writer, you will always be learning new things about the craft itself.

It should be fun and I honestly feel like an enlightened little scientist when I see something that really cracks the open the magic for me (ex: scenes that serve more than one purpose are OF COURSE going to be more engaging that scenes with only one purpose- duh) (of COURSE magic systems should have a cost) (of COURSE the characters cant always win OR always lose)

2) Broaden horizons: consuming fiction and studying it is key to knowing how to reproduce it. We start with the training wheels of imitation before we ride away full speed into truly unique original storytelling. But the most impactful and thought-provoking stories are more than just fiction, so you need to know more than stories. Science, history, art, craft, math, music, cooking, psychology, religion, whatever!

Everyone always parrots “write what you know”, but what you KNOW can expand to influence what you write- so keep learning new things all the time and for fun, because you never know what could help your story. Your knowledge is not limited to experience alone, and research is your best friend. ASOIAF was so loved because George RR Martin loved not only fantasy, but British history. The Folk of the Air series is so loved because Holly Blacks special interest is faeries.

Note: this does not mean the study of OTHER PEOPLES trauma and experiences in an appropriative way, rather, become worldly. Because sure, knowing what a gunshot feels like adds realism, but I don’t care about realism if I don’t care about your characters or world. Science fiction is the best example of this: so many of those stories stick with us generationally because they’re pointing a lens back at humanity, asking big philosophical questions with science, which is something that touches us all.

But it doesn’t even need to be Big and Thematic like that. My dear friend @chaylattes has a project where she’s applied her love of plants to the world building AND plot, and has INVENTED whole plant species that enriched their work with something so exclusively Chay. No one else could write Andromeda Rogue because Chay, with specific interests and knowledge, put that specificity into the story.

3) Diversify consumption: surrounding yourself with more of the same means you’re going to regurgitate the same, derivatively. To be a hater for a moment: I can tell within the first chapter if someone only reads/watches one kind of media (m*rvel, fairy smut, grim dark nonsense, etc), and it’s distracting. When I read that derivative work, I’m not thinking about THEIR story. All I can think of is the people who did it first, and better.

Alternatively, the best work draws on the unexpected. Fantasy work taking notes from horror, science fiction including humanistic romance, romance with elements of mystery. RF Kuangs work feels so smart because she’s literally a PHD candidate who’s reading of academic writing. Cassandra Clares work is so interpersonally messy and hard to look away from because she watches a lot of reality television. 

Genre is less a set of cages to lock yourself inside of and more so the sections of a great big fictional playground- and you need to start playing. Rules, again, are guidelines that can be bent for the sake of your stories. I predominantly write scifi/fantasy/horror but some of my favorite stuff is literary fiction, historical nonfiction, thrillers, and poetry.

And if you can’t bring yourself to read different genres, it takes significantly less effort to WATCH different genres. Television and film are stories too, and can absolutely be learned from. 

4) Consume with intention: this is easier said than done. I, embarrassingly, admit that I did not have any reading comprehension skills until I was at least 19. I was consuming, but I wasn’t thinking a damn critical thought, just spitting it back out in a way that sounded smart.

Critical thinking skills (I say, on the website that historically lacks such a thing) are a muscle that needs to be exercised just as often as your writing muscle. Reading new work, studying craft, learning new shit- none of it matters if you can’t APPLY it all to a story. One can take a clock apart to learn how exactly it ticks, but it won't tell time like a watch until you put it back together.

The key is asking questions, all of the time about everything. That whole “why the curtains were blue” nonsense comes to mind, but if you want to be a good writer, (edit: a writer that cares about whether or not their work is vapid imitation of better work) learning to ask WHY the curtains are blue really does matters.

Ask why in ALL stories you consume, including your own. Why do Ghibli films make me feel calm? (Motifs of undisturbed nature, low stakes plots and quiet scenes of reprieve between action, characters that care about one another and aren’t afraid to show it) Why do I fly through a Gillian Flynn novel but take 8,000 years to read other books? (Concise descriptions, realistic but evocative premise, witty voice, contained and fast paced plot, an abundance of questions driving the mystery leading up to a satisfying crash of answers at the end) Why were the curtains blue, the coffee cup chipped, and the lipstick stain on the rim red instead of purple or pink? And why did the colors matter at all when the scene is about a father at a kitchen table? (You tell me!) Answers may vary.

You can put the work into learning the answer at the source (ie: listening to authors talk about their own work), or through the external interpretations of a critic (proceed with caution here), sure. These are even good when learning HOW to think critically if you don’t even know where to start. But your growth as a writer depends on your ability to answer your OWN questions. 

(Why do I feel tense in this scene? Is it because the character says they’re sweating and struggling to breathe? Is it because I’ve been told the monsters close? Is it because the sentences are getting shorter and the author keeps repeating descriptions of that monsters massive bloody teeth coming closer? Or is it because I know the gun in her hands has no bullets because another character already tried what she’s about to try?)

(Why do I feel sad in this scene? Is it because the characters mom just died? Is it because the character can’t even verbalize that sadness to others? Is it because none of the other characters seem to care enough to ask? Is it because of the wilted flowers in the corner? Or is it because there are daisies in the bouquet, and those were the moms favorite?)

I can nod and smile at 1000 opinions about “why X did Y and the end of Z” or “why X is Y and not Z” but how I felt when I consume something, how I was affected and how it made ME PERSONALLY answer my critical questions, that’s what’s important. That’s how we manufacture gay subtext in everything, because sometimes gay is a feeling as opposed to a fact.

Also, if those subjective answers are inconsistent among readers/viewers, the writer likely had their own intentions a little muddled. So, and I know I’m getting tangential but stay with me: romance. You know how you’re supposed to feel happy or convinced that the people falling in love are like, in love? And want to put yourself in that position or whatever? I CANNOT consume most romance media because it all comes off as categorically terrifying to me. I ask myself why the characters are doing what they do, reacting the way they react, saying way they say, and none of it feels romantic. I want to file a restraining order, and that’s the failing of the author, who did not make enough conscious choices in their work and accidentally created horror while writing their color by numbers trope slop of a “romance” novel. 

5) Apply with reference: is like taking all your ingredients and finally cooking. You want people to notice and respect when you add certain literary devices, descriptions, character choices, but not to the detriment of your work. Shows like stranger things are popular but divisive because their intertextuality and reliance on nostalgia bolster an otherwise unoriginal idea. They weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel, they were writing a love letter to Stephen Spielberg, and are riding that wave into the ground. But the fairy dick renaissance doesn’t feel nearly as palatable as season one of stranger things did because a lot of times they aren’t using the ingredients in their own way, rather, following the recipe to a T and selling it as new. Food really is the perfect metaphor and sorry in advance because I’m really going to run with it here lol. 

When I eat a meal, first of all I know I'm eating food, so don't try and trick me into thinking otherwise or I'll only get annoyed. I want to be able to taste all of what’s in front of me, spice, salt, sweet, bitter, etc and know what what you said you've fed me is really actually truly what I've eaten. One ingredient, or writing choice, shouldn’t overpower another, or surprise me so much I can’t take another bite. I shouldn’t try something you call “sauced and baked yeast patty garnished with fermented milk and smoked meat” and think ��this shits pizza” because you didn’t even try to jazz it up more than what the instructions on the digiorno box said. I also shouldn’t bite into something you call a pizza and only taste bread because you really like bread and forgot that a pizza is more than just bread. 

But inversely, avoiding all ingredients gets you weird, nary inedible shit like charred milk reduction with lamb mist or whatever. Show me you have knowledge in your genre by referencing it AND remixing it, show me that you studied craft by foreshadowing properly or pacing well, show me you’re more than an AI writerbot by deepening your work with your unique and human influence, show me you read broadly by adding surprising ingredients, and show me that you mean every word you write because you made the curtains blue instead of yellow, and topped your pizza with pepperoni instead of pineapple.

Congrats on making it all the way through my rambling, hope I made sense and that this helped!

[thefeathercollective]

we're 99.9% sure that portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa was plural.

okay uh disclaimer. we're not a psychology or literature expert by any means. we rarely even read poetry. we only heard of this guy in high school literature class and the thought stuck with us and then we found plausible evidence lmao. also, as a plural system ourselves, we're clearly biased.

and a considerable amount of this post will be sourced from wikipedia. and this is the first time we've made a post like this. please don't come after us I'm just writing this for fun lmao

huge ramble ahead!

who even was that man

Fernando António Nogueira Pessoa (Portuguese: [fɨɾˈnɐ̃du pɨˈsoɐ]; 13 June 1888 – 30 November 1935) was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, publisher, and philosopher, described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language. He also wrote in and translated from English and French.

yeah that's who the man was. but what really sparked our interest in him during class and made us wonder if he was plural were his...

✨heteronyms✨

y'know pseudonyms? when someone writes under a different name than their own for whatever reason? these are similar, but the catch is that the different names have different personalities, supposed appearances, philosophies, all that shit.

the term was coined by Pessoa himself, and his heteronyms were written as if they were real people. they had detailed careers, histories, etc. he had at least 70, although I vaguely remember some other source estimating it at around 100.

"but eva, these could just be OCs or something!",

he had 3 main ones though, being Alberto Caeiro (known for interpreting the world as-is, without greater meaning or anything, like some sorta anti-poet), Álvaro de Campos (a naval engineer who even had multiple phases in his philosophy) and Ricardo Reis (who wrote with a lot of structure and rationality, and was very pessimistic).

I predict someone typing. to that, I begin my endless copy-paste + ramble about all the things that make us think the heteronyms were headmates.

I'll throw in a section of a letter Pessoa wrote to some other poet (bolding the parts I find relevant because I don't love walls of text lmao)

How do I write in the name of these three? Caeiro, through sheer and unexpected inspiration, without knowing or even suspecting that I'm going to write in his name. Ricardo Reis, after an abstract meditation, which suddenly takes concrete shape in an ode. Campos, when I feel a sudden impulse to write and don't know what. (My semi-heteronym Bernardo Soares, who in many ways resembles Álvaro de Campos, always appears when I'm sleepy or drowsy, so that my qualities of inhibition and rational thought are suspended; his prose is an endless reverie. He's a semi-heteronym because his personality, although not my own, doesn't differ from my own but is a mere mutilation of it. He's me without my rationalism and emotions. His prose is the same as mine, except for certain formal restraint that reason imposes on my own writing, and his Portuguese is exactly the same – whereas Caeiro writes bad Portuguese, Campos writes it reasonably well but with mistakes such as "me myself" instead of "I myself", etc.., and Reis writes better than I, but with a purism I find excessive…)

so not only does he describe writing Caeiro completely unexpectedly, he also gives the same sort of opinion about his heteronyms' writings that we've seen (and experienced) plural folks give about their headmates' typing or drawing styles.

hell, "writes better than I but with a purism I find excessive" is exactly my opinion of lynn when he does our assignments lmao

the semi-heteronym surfacing when Pessoa is sleepy could be some sorta dissociative state that lets a headmate come through, be it straight-up fronting or passive influence... but I'm probably forcing it too much here.

uhhh here's something on the heteronym thing from some guy called richard zenish. I bolded some parts again

For each of his 'voices', Pessoa conceived a highly distinctive poetic idiom and technique, a complex biography, a context of literary influence and polemics and, most arrestingly of all, subtle interrelations and reciprocities of awareness. [...] Pessoa was often unsure who was writing when he wrote, and it's curious that the very first item among the more than 25,000 pieces that make up his archives in the National Library of Lisbon bears the heading A. de C. (?) or B. de D. (or something else).

"okay.... they could still be characters though"

the heteronyms were aware of and sometimes interacted between themselves. wikipedia's list of Pessoa's heteronyms even has the man himself as a heteronym and pupil of Alberto Caeiro, although I don't feel like going after the source for that bit.

dear hypothetical person I'm quoting here, you're entitled to your opinion. but how about we take, say... a more DID/OSDD-y approach to things? because there's things that hint that Fernando Pessoa's plurality could be traumagenic and/or disordered too.

When Pessoa was five, his father, Joaquim de Seabra Pessôa, died of tuberculosis and less than seven months later his younger brother Jorge, aged one, also died (2 January 1889).

(written by himself about himself:) Nothing had ever obliged him to do anything. He had spent his childhood alone. He never joined any group. He never pursued a course of study. He never belonged to a crowd. The circumstances of his life were marked by that strange but rather common phenomenon – perhaps, in fact, it's true for all lives – of being tailored to the image and likeness of his instincts, which tended towards inertia and withdrawal.

(written by a schoolfellow:) For one of his age, he thought much and deeply and in a letter to me once complained of "spiritual and material encumbrances of most especial adverseness". He took no part in athletic sports of any kind and I think his spare time was spent on reading. We generally considered that he worked far too much and that he would ruin his health by so doing.

so childhood trauma, check...? at the very least this stuff doesn't sound very good for a child's mental health.

Pessoa's earliest heteronym, at the age of six, was Chevalier de Pas. Other childhood heteronyms included Dr. Pancrácio and David Merrick, followed by Charles Robert Anon, a young Englishman who became Pessoa's alter ego.

"I can remember what I believe was my first heteronym, or rather, my first nonexistent acquaintance — a certain Chevalier de Pas — through whom I wrote letters to myself when I was six years old, and whose not entirely hazy figure still has a claim on the part of my affections that borders on nostalgia. I have a less vivid memory of another figure . . . who was a kind of rival to the Chevalier de Pas. Such things occur to all children ? Undoubtedly — or perhaps. But I lived them so intensely that I live them still; their memory is so strong that I have to remind myself that they weren’t real."

oh I just found some spiritual stuff too

the appearance of the first heteronym was after his family members died so that's one thing... and like, that's not just one childhood heteronym but at least four. and well, to me they sound a bit too vivid for your average imaginary friend.

Pessoa's interest in spiritualism was truly awakened in the second half of 1915, while translating theosophist books. This was further deepened in the end of March 1916, when he suddenly started having experiences where he believed he became a medium, having experimented with automatic writing. [...] Besides automatic writing, Pessoa stated also that he had "astral" or "etherial visions" and was able to see "magnetic auras" similar to radiographic images. [...] Mediumship exerted a strong influence in Pessoa's writings, who felt "sometimes suddenly being owned by something else" or having a "very curious sensation" in the right arm, which was "lifted into the air" without his will. Looking in the mirror, Pessoa saw several times what appeared to be the heteronyms: his "face fading out" and being replaced by the one of "a bearded man", or another one, four men in total.

........

man, this wikipedia article is extensive and full of stuff that supports our silly little theory, huh.

yeah, so he attributed it to spiritual reasons which is fair and valid, but... "owned by something else" all of a sudden? the thing with the right arm sounding a lot like partial possession in tulpamancy? seeing his heteronyms' faces in the mirror?

yeahhhh.

(I'm guessing the magnetic aura thing could be some sorta derealization, contributing to the he-was-a-dissociative-system hypothesis, but that's yet another stretch on my part.)

(plus, spiritual plurality is a thing.)

oh! this thing he wrote sounds a lot like it too.

"This tendency to create around me another world . . . began in me as a young adult, when a witty remark that was completely out of keeping with who I am or think I am would sometimes and for some unknown reason occur to me, and I would immediately, spontaneously say it as if it came from some friend of mine whose name I would invent, along with biographical details, and whose figure — physiognomy, stature, dress and gestures — I would immediately see before me."

let's just do a quick google..

am I biased? yes, very much so. but y'know. you can see I have my reasons.

to see if any people with more qualifications than we have think the same about Fernando Pessoa possibly being plural lmao.

...oh, yes. contrary to what we thought a couple years ago when we had that class about the guy, other people have indeed thought the same. and written about it.

keywords "fernando pessoa mpd" give us:

this paper from 2012 (in portuguese) that... well, I *think* it claims he had mpd but it's very convoluted and abstract about it

this little... forum post? from 2009 that quotes a dead link :v

this one seems kinda cool. it regards Pessoa's positive approach to his heteronym-having as a creative condion called Pessoa Syndrome, and later mentions some Multiple Personality Order (not disorder). don't love some of its wording about mental disorders and madness... it's good to see someone consider healthy multiplicity as a thing that exists, though. it also claims Pessoa became someone with multiple personalities through his heteronymic writing, which is yet another possible origin I hadn't considered before for some fucking reason.

this one cites a dissociative process

this one straight up calls it "subject plurality"!

conclusion ig. I'm pretending to be organized here.

other keywords (like "fernando pessoa dissociative") provide some more results :0 but I've been writing this post for far too long now and would rather not read through more odd wording lmao

it really surprises me that wikipedia doesn't mention the possibility at all from what I've read and ctrl+F'ed. I thought we were being a conspiracy theorist about it but then I found even more stuff to back us up, including other people's analyses. so that's nice.

and I think this kind of thing, of plurals of the past, should be talked about more in the community. it's really interesting to say the least.

...

how does one even end a post like this one.

uhh thanks for reading!!

[sidekickjoey]

Rewatching Boy Meets World from S5-S7 is a wild time, because for all the emphasis this show places on the characters getting into college, we only end up finding out what one of them actually majors in once they're there. So, here's my ideas/thoughts that no one's asked for on everyone's eventual majors, from what I'm surest of to pure speculation:

Jack - Journalism & Engineering: First off, it's WILD to me that this is the only confirmed major we have from anyone on the show. Second, I have mixed feelings about it. Engineering makes total sense given his future career deals in the business of building pipelines/structures that could impact the environment but also make one very rich. However, why not make his second major be business then??? Even if the writers didn't know his future career then, they showed Jack has a propensity for entrepreneurship and is money motivated. It would've made way more sense for him to double in business or finance rather than a major we never saw him care for, as great as the journalism rep is. Or, if not business, do architecture! He mentioned wanting to be an architect and Eric said he'd be great at it! He had a highly technical and grand scheme kind of mind! Let him construct big things!

Topanga - Pre Law: Political-Science(?): We eventually find out in GMW that Topanga earns her Master's Degree in Political Science and ends up going to NYU law, but there's zero clue during BMW about her concentration while she's pre-law. Like...at all. I suppose she did political science given her later degree, but...maybe also not!

Shawn - English/Literature or Journalism: Shawn takes a lot of literature and writing courses in college (ignore that everyone else does as well), and he ends up working as a professional writer/photographer. I'd say he's an English major or something of the sort. Either that, or journalism adjacent. Very sure of this despite it not being mentioned directly.

Eric - Psychology: This is my strongest not-super-confirmed hunch. Not only do we see Eric take a ton of psych courses (ignore that everyone else does as well), but we're shown/told multiple times that the one thing he gets, even post-grad, is people. $20 what happened is he chose psych because, ah yes, I know people! I can study their minds!, only to reach graduation and realize he had no idea what to actually do with it. Panicked, he threw himself into community service/volunteering for a while as a way to still contribute to society/be helpful while buying himself time to figure things out. That built a solid rep for him with people -> people elected him mayor because he's great with people/the community -> people/the community elected him as senator because they trusted he cared about them/would work to advocate for their needs and what's right. Still think he should've been Feeny 2.0 or just studied meteorology like he wanted to from the start (screams), but I see the vision.

Cory - Education? History? Both?: Cory's college experience confuses me. He ends up a teacher, but we never received even a hint that that's what he was studying. I mean, you're telling me Mr. George Feeny, greatest teacher of all time, saw one of his favorite students majoring in education and didn't absolutely snag that boy aside to coach him in his image 24/7??? There's only two explanations I can think of here. 1) Cory majored in history (we see him take a few history classes) and went back to school to study as a teacher (since he later is a history teacher). 2) Cory switched majors to education after the show ended. I'm still mad he didn't just go into video journalism.

Angela - African American Studies/Literature(?): Angela mentions a few times doing papers regarding social justice/African American studies, but it's never really specified what it's all going toward. She also has a known love for poetry and literature (she owns lots of books/is seen writing and reading a lot), so she very well could've been doing something with that, too. I kind of like the idea of her becoming a prolific author writing on her feelings/experiences/thoughts on society/etc. It would be cool too if she ended up writing anything about her dad, especially in his honor once he passes.

Rachel - Social Work? Environmental Science? I think she mentions law at some point(?), but Rachel is kind of all over the place future-wise. We see her super unsure of what she wants to do in life, even right before graduation (ngl I giggled at the writers having her want to be so many things that require specific undergrad tracks & post-grad programs to even be considered for, be so fr you bunch). Given the fact she goes off to the Peace Corps, I'd like to think she was in the general realm of social work/sustainability/etc. and just went on to execute what she learned about that through the Peace Corps.

[realcube]

YOU GOT: KEIJI AKAASHI

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ matchup for @veggiesoupdumpling

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ if you would like a matchup, read this!

'i'm a leo!'

𓆩♡𓆪 i'm pretty sure akaashi is a sagittarius

𓆩♡𓆪 which means you are both fire signs :D

𓆩♡𓆪 which usually indicates a very passionate romance

𓆩♡𓆪 anyway here's a quote from some ppl who know a lot more about zodiac than me:

𓆩♡𓆪 'Together, they form a dynamic and fun-loving couple who can make all other signs envious of the greatness of the Leo and Sagittarius love compatibility. With both signs' elements being fire, they might experience the occasional impatience and intolerance of each other's grandeur. But, they will also exhibit endurance.'

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'i'm a big fan of reading, especially when it comes to psychological thrillers like the secret history and classics like jane eyre.'

𓆩♡𓆪 omg i think akaashi is probably a very big reader too

𓆩♡𓆪 i mean, he does become a manga editor post timeskip soo

𓆩♡𓆪 he would really enjoy discussing those sorts of stories with you

𓆩♡𓆪 and i can imagine that being the EXACT sort of literature he reads too??

𓆩♡𓆪 like classics and horror.. and maybe mystery or fantasy too?? but horror n classics are probs his bread n butter

𓆩♡𓆪 yeah i don't really imagine akaashi being a self-help kinda guy or someone who is into those action mangas

𓆩♡𓆪 OMG y'all defo had a meet-cute in the library/bookstore where you reached for the some book

𓆩♡𓆪 and it's so funny bc you were probably both reaching for the same psych horror book and are blushing and stuttering messes and can't even look at each other because your hands almost touched

𓆩♡𓆪 literally being so cute and bashful meanwhile the book you were both reaching for is titled smth crazy like 'the graphic and grusome dismembering of gummy bears in the forest'

𓆩♡𓆪 yes that is how i imagine all psych horror book titled LMAO

𓆩♡𓆪 but yes , that is your meet-cute :3

𓆩♡𓆪 OR maybe you're reading your book at the store/library and akaashi notices bc it's one of his faves n approaches you

𓆩♡𓆪 or vice versa were you approach him

𓆩♡𓆪 although if you were the one to make the first move he'd literally be internally screaming and be sooo flustered

𓆩♡𓆪 just bc like your beauty has caught him off-guard

𓆩♡𓆪 however if he makes the first move at least he has had time to mentally prepare beforehand

𓆩♡𓆪 he is not well versed in the art of talking to baddies okay ?? 😞

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'my love language is acts of service, both from me and from my partner.'

𓆩♡𓆪 tbh this is soooo akaashi coded

𓆩♡𓆪 maybe bc he knows you have a similar taste in books to him, he'd take on the secondary love language of gift giving (like letting you borrow/keep some of the books he has or just buying you some that you've mentioned wanting or that he thinks you'd enjoy)

𓆩♡𓆪 as for words of affirmation, especially early on in the relationship, he probably struggles ot give you compliments in person beyond 'you look nice' because whenever he sees you he is just at a loss for words

𓆩♡𓆪 so to combat that , he would start writing cute messages and slipping them in the books you read

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd try to put then with your book mark but sometimes when he's feeling playful and mischievious he'll put them at a random page

𓆩♡𓆪 so you'll just be reading a book on the bus/before you go to bed then all of a sudden find a note from akaashi with the most eloquent , well-written and sincere compliment you've ever heard

𓆩♡𓆪 he really does have a way with words sometimes

𓆩♡𓆪 then you'll text him like 'omg akaashi you are the sweetest 🥺'

𓆩♡𓆪 however he put that note in your book like.. a week ago .. so he is just like 'i am???'

𓆩♡𓆪 as for acts of service, he's the type to carry your bags , even if you don't think they are too heavy

𓆩♡𓆪 always will drive you places if you need him too , obviously he has important work commitment n stuff but if he's free n able, he will drive you where ever you want to go in a heard beat even if you can drive yourself

𓆩♡𓆪 ESPECIALLY IF IT'S NIGHT

𓆩♡𓆪 bro forgets how to act normal as soon as the sun comes down

𓆩♡𓆪 like if y'all have gone on a date and it's finished at 8 and maybe the sun hasn't even fully gone down yet but it's in the middle of setting

𓆩♡𓆪 he will INSIST on walking you home , or walking you to your car

𓆩♡𓆪 and let's say this is the first date and you say you don't want him to walk you home bc you don't want him to know where you live, he will order you a taxi and wait with you until it arrives

𓆩♡𓆪 and insist you text him when you get home

𓆩♡𓆪 you may think of it as being overprotective, and maybe it's all the horror he's read getting to his head, but akaashi knows how unsafe it is at night time, especially for women and he'd be damned if anything happened to you

𓆩♡𓆪 so waiting with you and staying by your side is the least he can do in his eyes

𓆩♡𓆪 he doesn't even really see it as doing you a favour bc he's benefitting from it too?? like he gets to spend more time with you on the walk / car ride home so why not :)

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

for @veggiesoupdumpling: hmm tbh akaashi is the first person i thought of for you ??? soulmate energy??? but if i had to say a different character, it would probably be ushijima

[emrys-rusts]

HIHI BRAND NEW MUTIE!!!! YOU INTERACTED WITH MY POST SO I GOT MY SILLY QUESTIONS :))):

Obscure Fadom(s) you need to talk about

That song that you have a mental break down to and then kill a man to in the same day

Why are you so cool?

Something in your immediate vicinity that would look so much better if it was bedazzled

Favorite type of tit

Your favorite thing you've ever created (meme, art, writing piece, ect.)

Character you would love to kiss (romantically or platonically)

Person you want to meet so badly, alive or dead

Favorite meme ever (I would ask vine but some people don't even know what vine is)

Food you would currently devour of placed in frontof you

Favorite weather in detail

Hyper specific color appreciation

HII AND YEAH, I LOVE ANSWERING QUESTIONS AND OVERSHARING <3 makes me feel like a special little boy :]

Obscure fandoms I need to talk about:

Okay, so this is a bit difficult to answer, as I have a LOT of interests. I'd say the most obscure ones to most people would be russian classical literature, specificly the brothers karamazov by fyodor dostoevsky! I've read that book when I was 14 and it has never left my soul since. It marks an integral part of me as I continue to grow and find other interests that define me. Overall it'd be classical literature, and adding to that I'd say..sci-fi horror? Is that a genre? I just LOVE expressive gore and psychological torment, and if I apply that to anything fantasy and the 80s (which is also a recent interest-box of mine that includes a bunch if stuff I love) i guess a vibe starts to form..eldritch horrors? I guess?...BUT I think none of that is as obscure as my interest in The Mechanisms at the moment, I am being COMPLETELY sucked in, that and tma are just somehow perfect for me, and very comforting..It's tough at the moment, and they serve as good scapegoats for my anxiety, and offer comfort as well :) HUH so I think I got a bit side-tracked, other than that there is just interest in the history of human culture, including arts, linguistics, and probably the history of medicine (and just how horrificly unsafe the practise used to be). None of these are fandoms but they include a wide range of fandoms for me!

The song I have a mental breakdown to and kill a man for

OKAY SO, AGAIN, PROBABLY A LONG ANSWER-

Currently? I'd say lullaby and homesick by Dr.Carmilla - Exhumed & (Un)plugged.

https://youtu.be/lldnep2m2Bo?si=rbf2xP687lcp3HyQ

https://youtu.be/lLo0XpXU5GA?si=Xqmgk0L0dVNTsM9e

sweet sweet jonny and carmilla angst...jonny and carmilla parallels my love, I am thinking of you non stop...oh you are so drawable...

I'd also add Lost In The Cosmos Lonely by The Mechanisms!

It tugs at my heartstrings and rips open my veins, and I scream and cry into the vast void of bitter and cold nothingness. I cry everytime. The serene tone is so good and the song resonates with me deeply. I'd even go as far as to say that it is my favorite mechanisms song..

Other than that I'd add three more songs, Trees and Flowers by Strawberry Switchblade, and both Love, Me Normally and Against the Kitchen Floor by Will Wood. They connect to my soul.

Why am I so cool?

Well, I never take a proper coat with me outside especially when it's chilly. Do I have a coat that fits my style? Absolutely. Do I still want everyone to see how many belts I can put on my person? Without a question.

Something in my vicinity that would look better if bedazzled

I'd say my wall! My room has an in built second floor where my sister used to sleep before she moved to another one, and whilst the lower floor is littered with artworks and two tolkien maps and all my books, I'd like to decorate the walls up here with some posters of my favorite bands, some character shrines, you know the like :) also the washing machine needs to go

Your favorite type of tit

You evil little shrinklings already know the answer to that one. But..I shall indulge I guess..

*shakily inhales* Drumtit.

*everyone cheers*

My favorite creation

If I was Dr. Carmilla or Frankenstein I'd say a child, but as of now, it must be my two of hearts digital artwork where they kiss in all sorts of ways :) I am genuenly very proud of that one. I have some difficulty loving my art, it's probably a self worth thing haha. I also love my patched jacket, but it stinks by now and I'm scared to wash it

Character I would love to kiss

I'm ace but I do kiss romanticly when I ship them with a character I project onto

Jonny d'Ville (platonicly) (I project a LOT), Drumbot Brian (romanticly), Martin Blackwood (platonicly), jonathan sims (romanticly/platonicly), michael shelly/distortion (platonicly), gerry keay (romanticly), both gunpowder tim and tim stoker (platonicly), any of the mechs really (platonicly), not sure about carmilla yet, but a reluctant hug, pavel karamazov/smerdyakov (platonicly), any of the karamazov brothers (platonicly) I'm gonna stop here but yeah :]

Person I'd want to meet so badly (alive or dead)

Well if it comes to people I look up to then that'd include david tennant, jonny sims and ethan becker. If you read this, no you don't. But yes they inspire me greatly to keep going and do what I love doing. I'm very passionate about stories and story telling, wether delivered, written or visual :)♡

Then there are, of course, my online mutuals (@cryptile and @drdrizzey ) and some of my old discord pals over on the russian literature server! Haven't been there in a long while but a meeting would be nice!

Favorite meme/vine EVER!!

I KNOW WHAT VINE IS!! I WAS BORN IN 2006 I'M ONE OF THE LAST ONES!!

I love so many vines pls I'm having difficulty choosing, but I did make a couple of vine compilations on my youtube account (needs updating btw-)

Other than that..

Food I would currently devour

Jonny and Brian making out, water

Favorite weather (in detail)

When it's warm, not too hot and not too cold, and there is a slight breeze in the air that sometimes gets a bit stronger so that it can sweep up some leaves and branches to make that crackling sound on the asphalt I am walking on, but it's never strong enough to tussle my hair or anything. The sun isnt too bright and you can smell a far away waft of rain. You can enjoy the chill a bit when you pull of your cardigan. Not many people around. And I also love it when the sun is out but it rains slightly. Very damp but in a comfortable way :)

Specific colour appreciation

Warm colours!! Musty, dusty colours that have bits of tone sharpness within but overall present the image of a lived in eastern european apartment from the 19th century. Probably on the scale of yellow I'd say

Thank you for the asks, it was really fun♡

[gale-gaze]

✦ Mavis "Vi" Lytte ✦

Knowledge Cleric of Mystra

[ detailed background under the cut ]

--- ✦  VOICE

Theme Song: Meg Myers - MY MIRROR

I’m so uptight, and I don’t know why - am I just being weird? Could you be my mirror? Could you be my mirror? Could you show me who I am? Cause I’ve had my eyes closed.

--- ✦  GENERAL

Age: 37

Height: 5’ 6"

Body Type: Pear-Shaped

Romantic Partner: Gale Dekarios

Orientation: Demisexual-Panromantic

Personality: Loyal, Pensive, Sentimental, Affable, Studious, Worrywart, Inhibited

--- ✦  DETAILS

Background: Sage

Race: High Half-Elf

Father: Ríkorin “Rík” Lytte [High Elf] Mother: Evelyn “Evie” Lytte [Human]

Class: Knowledge Cleric of Mystra

High WISDOM and INTELLIGENCE Mid CHARISMA and CONSTITUTION Low DEXTERITY and STRENGTH

Proficiencies: Arcana, History, Nature, Medicine, Religion, Insight, Persuasion

Interests: Alchemy, Literature, Art, Astronomy, Puzzles, Philosophy, Psychology, Music Boxes, Charcuterie Boards

Hobbies: Herbology, Entomology, Calligraphy, Kalimba, Journaling, Sketching, Research, Macrame, Sculpting, Jewelry Making

--- ✦  LORE

Mavis grew up a sheltered only-child to her father Ríkorin, a High Elf Knowledge Cleric of Oghma, and her mother Evelyn, a Human College of Lore Bard, with a fairly ordinary early life. Her father was well respected in their community with his dedication to preserving knowledge and understanding the world around them, and her mother was skilled in bringing people together to help her husband unite others with transcendent song and craft - their life was harmonious and pleasant, filled with compassion and learning.

Mavis grew up disconnected from many amidst her father’s dusty books hidden away in his grand library and the soothing songs of her mother’s music or the joined tinkering of her parents, but the Lytte’s were content in their personal peace while they analyzed the chaos of the world from the comfort of their home together. As such, many of the people Mavis knew growing up were friends of her parents, but as her love for knowledge deepened, her father would begin to show her artifacts he was working with and she would eventually come with him to the shops to peruse with him, leading her to meet her first and only childhood friend, [REDACTED].

[REDACTED] enjoyed the caring but excitable nature of Mavis - although they were a skilled novice Sorcerer, [REDACTED] had problems keeping their Wild Magic in check, which frequently left chaos in their wake and caused a lot of strife in their early life relationships. Even when faced with this chaos, Mavis remained curious and enamored with them and their magic, eager to offer to be their friend and quickly learned Cure Wounds so that she could keep [REDACTED] safe in case of a wild magic surge.

Mavis was completely smitten by [REDACTED] and as they grew closer, the feelings became mutual, to the dismay of the community that the Lytte’s lived in; due to this, rumors around the Lytte’s dabbling with untamed, wild magic began to stir, causing tension between her parents and the community as time went on. Despite this, the Lytte’s sheltered [REDACTED] and gave them a safe space to try and learn alongside Mavis and did what they could to keep the community at bay - even so, [REDACTED] grew to hate the gaze of the community weighing on those around them and became restless.

As [REDACTED] became distant and stopped coming over as frequently, Mavis found herself sneaking out more often to try and catch up with them and make sure they were alright - at first, it was a fun affair for [REDACTED] to have Mavis chase after them each night, but as their emotions swelled, so did their wild magic surges and the fear that they were going to hurt those they cared about.

With a written note, [REDACTED] tied up a scrying mirror pendant with a note to tell Mavis they were going to seek help with their wild magic, and that they would not be returning, begging Mavis to forget about them. When Mavis finally used the mirror, she saw [REDACTED] hurt and surrounded by a fire blazing at a location that [REDACTED] had shown her in their childhood.

Mavis left home immediately and found [REDACTED] within a ring of fire like she saw, making what she assumed to be cries of pain; as her emotions swelled, Mavis rushed to aid her friend and forgot their golden rule of checking for traps, inadvertently triggering one that pierced through [REDACTED] as they yelled out for her, dropping the letter that they were holding. A fey entity emerged from the fire, then revealed themself to be a hag as they reached a hand out to Mavis with an offer - for the small price of a handful of memories and a helping hand, [REDACTED] would be brought back.

As their hands met to shake on it, Mavis felt the flesh of her hand slip from her bones and fall to her feet; as [REDACTED] stirred to life again, Mavis questioned the hag about the final part of their agreement - the hag smiled and simply said to ask [REDACTED] before both the fire and hag vanished. Kneeling beside [REDACTED] as they regained consciousness, she saw the letter that they had been holding before she found them: “Seek me for solace from your wild heart”

Mavis reached her hand out to touch the letter and get a closer look, but caught [REDACTED] by surprise with her quivering, flesh-less bones outreached - instinctively, [REDACTED] cast Thunderwave to push her away, their voice booming as the answer to Mavis’s question to the hag was given: “Who are you?”

Scared and dazed from the events, Mavis scrambled to her feet and ran home as she left [REDACTED], recounting to her parents what had happened through sobs. The family spent the night curled up with various tomes around them in her father’s library, searching for an answer to her curse. As her parents tended to their hunger in the early morning, Mavis found herself praying for guidance; while she knelt amongst the books, her mother dropped a heavy pot upstairs that thumped to the floor below. With that thump, one of her father’s books on Mystra fell in front of Mavis, and she began to plan.

Mavis gathered her important belongings and penned a letter to her parents, explaining that the best solution was for her to find her own answers and disappear from the community’s eye. And with that, she set off to study at the temples of Mystra, seeking to understand magic and bring some harmony to the chaos in her growing obsession around magic, hopeful to perhaps reunite with [REDACTED] if she could find a way to help their curse.

In her studies at each temple, she excelled but kept her distance, her excitable nature with learning becoming more and more outwardly quiet as she worked on finding answers to everyone’s problems, disconnected from the world like she had been in her childhood. Her mind was frequently wracked with what if’s on restless nights, and she took to writing endless notes to keep herself busy while she developed solutions in her studies, her fingers constantly stained with the various inks. As she found solutions to one problem, another one came up, and her obsessive endless cycle continued on from temple to temple.

Mavis was taken to the Nautiloid after a prayer, after she had seen [REDACTED] in her scrying mirror killing a mind flayer; Mavis is hopeful to connect with [REDACTED] again, but begins to realize that they have been surviving just fine without her and she comes to terms that she should perhaps move on to help those that need her more instead.

--- ✦  NOTES

• The scar across her nose is from the day that she met [REDACTED] as a child; they collided into Mavis while running to rush and return something they had pick pocketed off someone else, after they realized they had taken something deeply sentimental - Mavis was smitten instantly

• The necklace Mavis wears is two silver hands holding a small black scrying mirror, which was the last gift that [REDACTED] gave to her; Mavis uses it from time to time to check in on [REDACTED] - old habits die hard and all that

⚬ slowly, Mavis comes to terms with needing to let go of things outside of her control after the mirror chips while in the Shadow Cursed Lands, which caused her to have a major panic attack and nearly fall in battle, forcing her to retire the necklace from her wardrobe

• After [REDACTED] was cursed, Mavis is terrified of being forgotten, as well as forgetting those that she loves and important details, so she is constantly making notes and keeping small reminders of her journey and studies

• She conceals the skeletal curse on her left hand with an enchanted silver ring she made that utilizes illusion magic to maintain a normal appearance; the ring is fairly unassuming, but has a small keyhole on the front because Mavis thought it was “best to hide a skeleton hand with a skeleton key(hole)”

⚬ the bands on her arm are tattoos that she gave to herself as a means to make the illusion magic of her ring a bit more convincing and easier to keep consistent; she is very proud of them, considering she did it stick-n-poke style with her ink and quill in terribly lit conditions, and the experience did seem to make receiving the brand of the Absolute and Loviatar’s blessing a bit easier

• To keep her company as a child, her mother and father worked together to craft a ring for Mavis that summons a rat familiar; his name is Ailmar, after one of her favorite childhood stories she would read with her family growing up, and she tells him everything despite the fact that he is simply a plain ol’ rat with an unusually long lifespan

⚬ Ailmar is extremely fond of Elminster, mostly because that man knows his cheese; Elminster seems to have a soft spot for the rat as well, and secretly quotes the book his namesake is from to the rat while sneaking him morsels

• The book that Ailmar’s name comes from is called “A Rat with Virtue and Knowledge” and Mavis cherishes it so much that she keeps it with her at all times; the pages and spine of her copy are well worn and loved, a plethora of notes scribbled in the margins that seem to show the timeline of each time she read it with new insight

⚬ on the front page is a handwritten note, eloquently done in tidy lettering - “For my Little Lightning Bug - Your Devoted Papa” - followed by a less-elegant inscription written below in a younger hand - “Property of Mavis Lytte” ⚬ the book follows the charming rat Ailmar and his journey learning from a hare named Virtue and their protective guardian construct named Knowledge after Ailmar is caught stealing apples from them and is cursed to never be able to take the one thing his heart truly wants - the heart of Virtue - no matter how deeply he falls in love through their adventures learning together

• Mavis is used to being alone or only with Ailmar these days, so she frequently mumbles to herself and gets incredibly embarrassed when someone overhears her and asks her who she was talking to, or even worse, to repeat herself

⚬ 95% of the time, she is just making a bad joke or pun - Gale tends to overhear and will chuckle to himself, but doesn’t mention it since she seems to get flustered when it gets brought up at camp by the others

• She has had a few relationships in her time traveling, but she always knew that they weren’t long-term and they were with her more out of convenience, and she just didn’t want to be completely alone despite not feeling emotionally attached

⚬ Mavis doesn’t talk much about them since she was more focused on her studies than the relationships, but she does mention in passing once that her last partner had told her point-blank that they found her too sentimental and that they “would never grow old together” before pressuring her to lose her soft side to toughen up and become physically stronger; while she will laugh as she denies that it affected her view of herself and her worth, her distant eyes tell a different story

• She always has snacks on her because she often forgets to eat when she is fixated on something; she is frequently found enjoying her favorite snack of apples in her tent while reading

⚬ there was maybe one time where Mavis got incredibly sick and nearly died at camp after eating an apple because she didn’t check the ones she picked up in the wetlands before seeing through the hag’s illusion - extensive notes reiterating how awful hags are and the importance of poison antidotes were made afterwards

• She has a few nicknames from people in her life:

⚬ Chipmunk by her mother, because of how she would stuff her cheeks with snacks growing up when she was engulfed in a new book or puzzle ⚬ Lightning Bug by her father, because of how frequently he would catch her using Dancing Lights to illuminate her late-night reading and her fascination with insects ⚬ Nightlight by her best friend [REDACTED], because of how she always seemed to pull them out of dark places when they needed it most

• While she isn’t very strong, she learned to use a mace sufficiently well at the temples she studied at because she enjoys how she can change the balance and force based on her grip position and uses gravity to help with her lower strength

⚬ after finding the Blood of Lathander, Gale makes a joke in the the Shadow Cursed Lands that Mavis is everyone’s Nightlight - the comment flusters Mavis immensely since she had not told him that that was her nickname growing up, and this causes her to nearly break the scrying mirror that [REDACTED] gave to her and have a devastating panic attack

• She keeps magic locks with an encrypted password on all of her journals, just to be safe

⚬ Mavis has removed [REDACTED]’s name from everything, since their name is the password to her journals ⚬ this is likely why Mavis doesn't really notice that Gale talks about Mystra a lot, nor mind his extravagant protocol to bring him back - she gets it

• After spending some time helping clean up from the events at Baldur’s Gate, Mavis properly reconnects with her parents and they finally decide to leave their community to move to Waterdeep and be closer to her; she opens up a semi-faux bookstore with her father, which they named “Lytte Reads” where most of the books are, in fact, not very light at all

⚬ the store acts more as a public library, where Mavis and her family have given up their collection of knowledge to share it with others freely - but if you ask really nicely and offer her something that she can woo her silly wizard fianc�� with, Mavis may be willing to part with a tome or two; Dekarios weddings aren’t cheap, you know

• Mavis is extremely fond of flowers after spending so much time inside away from them while studying, and her favorite flowers are bellflowers

⚬ another name for bellflowers is Campanula - meaning “Little Bell” - and is actually her mother’s maiden name; because of this, her father crafted jingling jewelry for her mother in the shape of bellflowers so that it was easier for him to know if she was near, since he would find himself getting startled by her while reading due to how quiet her steps could be - he adores when he hears the jingles as her mother dances through their home ⚬ while not entirely interested in lavish weddings, Mavis is excited to have as many colorful flowers, including bellflowers, at their wedding; you know, once Gale and her can settle on a venue that will meet his standards

--- ✦  SONG

There was a boy - a very strange, enchanted boy They say he wandered very far, very far over land and sea A little shy and sad of eye, but very wise was he And then one day, one magic day he passed my way And while we spoke of many things - fools and kings - this he said to me: The greatest thing you'll ever learn Is just to love, and be loved in return - Nature Boy by Nat King Cole

--- ✦  MOODBOARD

[miss-morgans-lover]

Twilight Advent Day 5 : Cullen's favourite college major + new one they should try

(Disclaimer: I have not done or researched any of these courses)

Rosalie: Favourite is her engineering courses she's done, cause it helps her with her cars and she actually enjoys doing them and showing off to other students. In the future she would probably do some sort of Product Design course or something similar, as it's similar enough to engineering that it will hold her interest in a similar way, but also different enough that she is learning something totally new

Edward: His favourite was Medical Science, which he originally did for Carlisle, but ended up enjoying it and always repeating it whenever he goes back to high school. He would want to pursue a Music degree in the future because he enjoys playing and writing music, especially on the piano.

Esme: Her favourite degree was her architect degrees she has. She is often designing new buildings as an anonymous side business as a form of income which she enjoys doing. She also designs the Cullen's home's (often having a big part in actually building them) and also had a hand in designing the Denali's home. She would want to do an Art degree in the future as I feel like she'd enjoy the creativity of it and appreciate it well and it would also help in her designs of buildings.

Carlisle: He's done many degree's or degree type things across his time but, Medical Science remains his obvious firm favourite. In the future though he would want to do a politics course or something similar as I feel he would be interested by the complexities of it and it would intrigue him to find out more about this aspect of the human world.

Alice: Her favourite degree was her fashion/textiles degree as that is what interests her the most. In the future she may want to do a degree in dance as it ties in in the way she moves and there is a lot of costumes in dance which I think she'd enjoy.

Emmett: I think his favourite degree would be one in Woodwork or Carpentry because he would like the concentration it takes and would take pride in the pieces he created. He would also love to see people's faces when they found out he took thet class. In the future he might want to take a sports degree of some description as he would enjoy playing sports, especially ones like Basketball.

Jasper: His favourite degree would be History. He would enjoy learning about all different countries history, though American (specifically Civil War era) History would be his speciality he would enjoy all of it. In the future he would want to pursue a Psychology course as this would help him understand emotions and why they happen more which could help him understand his gift more.

Bella: She has never done a degree yet, however one she'd want to do in the future would be English Literature as she enjoys books and reading them. She also has the observation skills needed to analyse them.

[edensliterarydiaries]

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. The dangerous pursuit of climbing the social ladder.

The Secret History (SH) is an account of a murder in Hampden College, New England, through the eyes of outsider Richard Papen. A academic life that is similar to Tartt’s own, this novel artistically blends the rational with romantic ideals. However, after reading this stunning narrative, I have to address the title, so many say, it ‘truly deserves’: A Modern Classic. SH can plausibly be classified as a psychological crime novel that is derivative of other writings before it. From Crime and Punishment to Sigmund Freud’s essays, Tartt transforms the ideals of college life and academic study into one of morose horror. The knowledge of characters is greatly outweighed by the clear obsession with academia. From a first person account, we never get to know Papen’s fellow classmates, or the teacher Julian Morrow, on any other level beyond physical appearance. Instead, we become familiar with their love of Greek stories and rituals (only to kill a local man in the process, oops 😬😯).

SH is ‘devoid of character but has plenty of personality… there is nothing good beneath the heavy surface of academia’. -J.Wary, Michigan Daily

The influences of psychology in SH are evident in the difficulty these characters face outside the walls of academia. Papen, seeing hope for a better life in attending Hampden, only comes to observe that his ‘existence was tainted’ in the process and after. Yes, the death of his friend Bunny may have been the catalyst for such a perspective to be drawn. But, can the fact that Morrow insisted that his students have him as their only teacher be the cause for such an outlook too? (You had it coming as soon as you switched your tutor to Morrow as well Papen, we all saw it coming!)

We can see that his ‘morbid longing for the picturesque’ (NY Times) is a parallel to how private colleges are perceived by the common folk. As a ‘idyllic’ as it was on the brochure As the outsider, Papen’s, opportunity to escape the dull reality of Californian life is only met by the Dickensian tradition of financial and societal desperation; a long way from the better life he once dreamed of when coming to Hampden.

The opportunity to entrench yourself in the worlds created by classic literature is something our original five Greek students do persistently. With lots of money behind them, it is easy to get captivated by the romantic fantasy without feeling the consequence. The richest of the five, Henry, states that ‘Death is the mother of beauty… and what is beauty (without) Terror?’. The ideas behind Henry’s speech links back to the passage read by Camilla in the first class together.

In a ‘harsh and low and lovely’ voice, she reads about the ‘dark red and violent-driven rain of bitter savoured blood (that makes the character) glad’.

The repetition of ‘and’ both lengthens the sentence and makes Camilla’s speech creepily seductive. Yet, finishing the passage with a character that is ‘glad’ could be Tartt alluding to the murder later on in the novel. In the mean time, the excitement and vigour stemming from both Henry and Camilla’s imagery is plausibly seen as escapism away from the ‘monkish bare’ windows and ‘whitewashed walls’ of Hampden.

As a former student of the said ‘elite’ school life, time between those tall walls can be reminiscent of prison. Pursuing the idea rehabilitation was in the form of etiquette (often indirectly) and hazing Saturday matches and army training. All of which spat you out into the world with your school plastered on your psyche.

To be a Modern Classic, SH had to focus individuals personal morals and ethical behaviours both in their daily lives and in unusual situations (such as a murder). As a first person account, Tartt avoids this. She only lets us know Papen’s opinion on their physical appearance and any actions they commit. This alone, speeds up the pace of the novel. As Tartt does not stop to give us any background information of these students, especially Henry and Bunny, whose interaction is quite intriguing to Papen.

In contrast to the world of Greek literature, Papen’s description of his fellow students is reminiscent of the contents of a photo album. We see the images of people and know about what they did in life. But, we don’t know them beyond their physical appearance, what they like and dislike for instance.

The replacement of character development with the obsession with Dionysian madness, distances Papen (us as readers), from the original five Greek students. Under the spell of Dionysus’ words, it is plausibly easy for the students to be captivated by the colourful imagery displayed in such books. Especially in the black and white surroundings of Hampden, the classical world created connotes a Baroque undertone that is both captivating and sinister; the latter is more prominent to us than the former.

Can we plausibly see that Tartt is suggesting that literature was a way to escape the daily grind of academic life?

In the end though, it is difficult to see how SH can be a Modern Classic. Yes, Greek literature and elite university settings are visuals that are associated with the adjective ‘classic’. But, the limited character development does make Papen’s account of the events ,leading up to the murder, dry; no conflicting emotions or true feelings about certain events (beyond Papen) revealed in any way. Furthermore, being publishing in the early 90s, SH was released into a world that was in love with murder mysteries and psychological thrillers both in the book and on screen.

It is a product of its time, not a Modern Classic. The latter is used on a piece of work that is going to last and resonate with everyone over centuries. To state it’s a modern Classic would be to compare it against the works of authors from the early to mid 20th century.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928), for instance, uses letter writing and indirect and direct dialogues to convey Constance’s character development to us. Through letter writing and talking to specific ‘trusted friends’, we know how difficult her life was becoming with Clifford (the plausible predecessor of Richard Papen!). The main point to take away is that the character development aided the progression of the narrative. It did not lead the reader to express doubts or question anyone’s motives and inner beliefs and it certainly did not leave us to speculate what lead up to certain events.

Anyway, coming back to SH, I can say that it is a psychological crime novel. Tartt does suggest to us that there is more that meets the eye when it comes to elite colleges and the academic world. She also draws a dark shadow over feelings of temptation and ambition, especially in the case of outsiders like Papen.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone seeking something to read under the bed covers this autumn. If you grow to love it and form opinions about it (like I have) and fancy something more- then watch some crime movies from the 90s! (A good place to start would be The Good Shepherd (2006) and The Skulls 3 (2004).

Hoped you enjoyed this post as much as I did writing it!

See you in the next one!

Yours sincerely,

Eden xxx

[determinate-negation]

“ people on here r rly like 'attraction to big people is fetishistic, attraction to small people is pedophilic, having sexual thoughts about a real person is objectifying and basically harassment (and having them about fictional people is perverted), kinky sex is immoral, if youre open about your sex life in any way youre a pervert, if youre not open about them you are queerbaiting. basically you should be completely sexless while everything you do is sexualized and up for debate/speculation. this is good for the Igbt community' ”. Saw this post and it reminded me of the somewhat cold take you made the other day about bdsm being rooted in colonialism and militarism… Obviously not everything written in this post but yeah. Did you delete it bc you changed ur mind or? Just curious. Do you think something is “amoral” and should be avoided if its roots are colonial? What about reclamation by oppressed groups? Like historical queer subcultures? Leather daddies etc.

didnt change my mind, i deleted it bc in the comments i was talking about my own personal experiences and tbh i dont feel comfortable having it up publicly. i didnt say people are immoral for their preferences, that would be ignorant of how human sexuality actually functions. tbh i didnt say anything similar to the quoted post you sent me, just pointed out a historical reality. as i said in the post i dont pass judgement or think anyone is problematic for shit, or think they should try to avoid it, because i think its out of peoples control for the most part. even though of course sadism and masochism have been present in human society for centuries so much of it coalesced during specific periods of western history. i think its just stupid to brush past that and see sexual practices as just ahistorical things with no deeper psychic significance. a lot of practices that are part of bdsm now or have influenced themes, cultural icons, etc in bdsm shit today are connected to western culture, and, in non western cases to empires and imperial culture. the namesake of sadism was a french enlightenment writer and the namesake of masochism was an austrian romanticist writer. both of their writing is indicative of the historical context and people have written a lot about the philosophical influence theyve had. back to the colonial thing… what i was more specifically talking about was significance of military academies, colonial troops, and boarding schools- highly stratified social relations with specific relations to violence and control- in influencing the experiences of early s&m writers or artists, and their continued impact on aesthetics and themes of culture today. and also the popularity of sadomasochistic literature in europe during the 1800s, a period of time of heightening of imperial relations and colonial expansion. is it not interesting to you that the majority of older material concerning bdsm originated in france, germany, britain, and austria. still some of the main exporters today probably. can you really say theres no cultural drive sustaining that. so yeah its kind of cringe to me when people are like “bdsm is all about making someone feel loved uwu” like its actually so corny. maybe its just an cultural outgrowth of a psychic phenomenon thats been exacerbated by class society and western obsession with discipline violence control and subjugation. sadomasochism as a psychic phenomenon includes a lot of psychological and sexual behavior and bdsm i guess is one part of it, but cant be separated from the rest of its manifestations. this phenomenon as whole seems to me at least to be obviously a historical product, and a product of childhood experiences and one’s earliest human relations, also characterized by power relations and in the west, western culture ofc. im coming to this from a psychoanalytic perspective so tbh “reclamation by oppressed groups” doesnt really even fit into this. i dont care what people do and thats cool if it works for them. i dont get it though. im sure there are plenty of people for whom its just a fun thing and they compartmentalize whatever but thats not the reality for many other people. if you want to talk to me about this more message off anon because i have a lot of opinions but it honestly is a personal topic and i dont want share details about my life publicly to justify why i think all of this

[protect-daniel-james]

What would Unai’s favourite kind of book / genre of book?

Oh and Franko and Jamie??

I think Unai tried to make himself read poetry - because that was what counted as "being educated" in his mind - but never quite *got into it*. I think he - canonically - read a lot of self-improvement, motivational, psychological literature, on how to be more confident, productive, etc. The saving grace that stops him from turning into one of those freaks that "get up at 4 AM with their alarm saying RISE AND GRIND" is that he is genuinely passionate about his work, and to an extent he wants to be the best version of himself to do Football well :))) Like, to him, Football is God, and he wants to work to its glory? And if he doesn't do that, he feels like he had failed. So all this self-improvement shit is just to be closer to his ultimate beloved - Football.

Apart from EVERYTHING about football (I imagine he literally devoured every single football-related book during his playing career, he was probably the nerd that would read on the bus), I imagine some very niche specific books where he appreciates the dedication of the author more than the actual subject. In my never-yet-published AU where he is a librarian and Andoni a bookstore owner, they meet over a book (which actually exists) called Que disent les maisons basques ? which is all about the ancient signs over entrances of traditional basque houses. I think he would have a lot of time for regional niche specifics, reading books about ... conciliation crosses (not sure if they have them in the Basque country or England lmao) and wayside shrines in the countryside and their history and meanings, stuff like that.

I think Franko is a (auto)biography type of guy! He loves reading about Inspiring People and thinking of himself as such. I think as a child he read a lot of "mature" books before his classmates, and never shook off this complex of superiority (after all he was The Smart Child) that it (and the praise from teachers) made him feel. So I think he enjoys a lot of Very Serious Very Smart books - and an occasional self-improvement book (because he doesn't want people to think he's stubborn and rigid).

I can't imagine Jamie reading any book beyond like...The Famous Five, when he was a kid. I think he enjoyed these fun little stories about kids going on "safe" adventures as a child, but once he became serious with football, he just....stopped growing mentally and emotionally (and we know who is to blame, Uncle Harry), and stopped caring about broadening his horizons. Also, I doubt book-reading was popular around LFC dressing room where he joined, so he would probably be bullied if he did that. But I think these Famous Five types of books bring him comfort. Maybe Franko can read them to him, along with his own children's books, when they have a Sweet Moment together!

[annbourbon]

After reading What is...? by @creativepromptsforwriting (if you haven't read her blog or follow her WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?)

I decided to add some of my notes here too. Because it's on the little things I've been studying every night to get better at writing. So please consider this post as part/collab of "What is...?"

★Please keep in mind that this comes from someone whose first language it's not english, so, what for some might be obvious, for others it is not.

Blurb? is a short promotional description on your book. But can also be used to promote movies and other things.

Needs: Hook + Keywords (define an audience) + keep it short and leave them wanting for more.

* Remember to check for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Nowadays you can use quotes from your book as promo too. Pinterest is your best ally here. Make a bunch of attractive images with a colorful quotes and upload it on your social media! ^♡^

Honestly when it comes to promos you should exploit it all (meaning: create quotes, collage, your cover, promos, etc!) Be your own fan. Create a playlist, ambience, set the mood. Let your own world drag you into the woods, do not resist it.

If you love it, other will love it too.

W.I.P.? Means Work in Progress. So you have yet a lot to do to finish your story. it's okay, it takes time \^♡^/

Pathetic fallacy Vs Personification?

Pathetic fallacy

It's specifically about giving emotions to something non-human (objects, nature, or animals)

Writers use the pathetic fallacy to evoke a specific mood or feeling that usually reflects their own or a character's internal state. While I have seen some detractors of using this technique, think of Emily Brontë novel, Wuthering Heights, or Shakespeare in several of his works like Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear and Macbeth. Or Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. So study it and use it carefully and you should be fine. Times change but you should write however you want too.

Personification

On the other hand, is giving any human attribute to an object.

Think of The Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, and Toy Story as great examples of what personification is.

Atmosphere?  is the way an author uses setting, objects, or internal thoughts of characters to create emotion, mood, or experiences for the reader.

For me Mary Shelley with Frankenstein is one of the most accurate examples I can give, but when I think about it, Robinson Crusoe, and Moby Dick, both feel tremendously claustrophobic and desperate to the reader, full of details, the time passes slowly and it's insufferable. Which in theory is not okay because the reader can drop the book but guess what? They're classic because you want to know what happens next. Which brings me to my next point, if you want to know more about the art of writing, you should try the following channels on YT:

Abbie Emmons

She has some interesting videos, but one crazy tip that will change your mind. It actually works. And don't worry, she keeps repeating it over and over so you learn it too. She also offers some courses and several activities like writing together (in case you're trying to write but can't, now you have a date!)

Ellie Dashwood

If you're into social dynamics, subtlety and want to get better writing period stories wether they are romantic or dramas, then she's your best bet. While she doesn't teach you how to write better she does teach you literature and history. And trust me, some of these things can be more than helpful. The way she analyzes and provides for clarification over social situations has made me understand not just Jane Austen but my own time in a different way.

Fiction Beast

This is showing me a lot of literature and making me read classics. Of course it wouldn't work if it wasn't because of Ellie but it's a must! because it does explains a lot.

Ana Neu

I just discovered her and Ellen so I can't say a lot of things but their videos have been really helpful with some of the things I've been working on especially with Fit or Die, so you should check out both of these girls.

Ellen Brock

and of course, he needs no introduction, but if you didn't know, he has several classes posted on his channel which have been helping me tremendously.

Brandon Sanderson

*Disclaimer: They're not paying me for doing promo. I just do this on my own account because I truly admire their work and effort put into it. Plus, I always do this for anyone if I truly admire the way they work. And I believe this is helpful for anyone with hopes of becoming an author. Even if it's just a hobby. Have fun~!