#but it's mostly bookish stuff

[amesfgc]

i want to use this app more often but i'm always confused about it so i only post art but i'm swallowed in uni readings and exams which means no time for finished stuff SO if you'd like send me doodles/sketches requests for me to post it here mwah :)

[yazthebookish]

My motto for fandom drama in 2023:

Fuck off

[highwaydiamonds]

so I'm jumping on the train of putting out a list of what i read in 2022! I've never done this before so - hey! something new for 2023 it seems. Most of these were audiobooks, but not all of them. More than anything I'm just surprised i didn't do a re-read of any Austen... I usually do re-read at least one Austen per year. But I'm sure i can always tack those on to this year :)

[your-turn-to-role]

also. i absolutely adored what lovm did with the pass through fire quote

but then it makes me emotional about the original context, so i have to share that too (minor plot spoilers ahead)

because it wasn't originally to do with the ashari at all. it was from patrick rothfuss' guest character, a blacksmith named kerrek, who helped vox machina fight against the dragon in westruun, and helped keyleth personally through some difficult stuff (he may yet appear on lovm, but given the context of the quote now i doubt we'll get all of it)

and a little after kerrek's episode, patrick rothfuss actually made a legit letter from kerrek to keyleth, with a present inside, and left it with matt until whatever point in the plot she was able to recieve it

which by coincidence was one of the hardest moments in the whole campaign for her

and this letter had marisha legit crying in the episode, because it's just. so beautiful, and so needed. and it goes:

Keyleth,

I write to let you and your companions know that the repair of Westruun is proceeding well. I will not bore you with the details. Suffice to say that our children are well-fed and safe, our elderly and infirm are cared for and comfortable. Without the help of you and yours, this would not be the case.

The folk in charge argue constantly, but that is to be expected, and it is no bad thing. They all want the same good things in different ways. I listen, mostly, and do what I can to make sure that they listen to each other. Without listening, nothing good can happen.

The town... when I say the repair is going well, it is a hard thing for me to talk about. I am not a particularly clever man, and much of this is new to me. When you make a mistake with metal, you can melt things down and start afresh. It is irritating, and it costs in time and soot and sweat, but it can be done. There is a comfort in iron, knowing that a fresh start is always possible. But a city is not a sword. It is a living thing, and living things defy simple fixing. Roots cannot be reforged. They scar, and broken branches must be cut and sealed with tar, and this makes me angry, as it always has, and my anger has no place to go.

It was easier when I was young. I could use my anger like a hammer against the world. I was so sure of myself and my friends and my rightness. I would hammer at the world, and breaking felt like making to me, and I was good at it. And while I was not wrong, neither was I entirely right. Nothing is simple.

I do not work in wood. I am not brave enough for that. There is a comfort in iron, a promise of safety, a second chance if mistakes are made. But a city is more a forest than a sword. No, it needs more tending than that.

Perhaps a city is like a garden, then. So these days, it seems I have become a gardener. I dig foundations in the earth. I sow rows of houses. I plan and plant. I watch the skies for rain and ruin. I cannot help but think that you would be better at this, but circumstance has put both of us in our own odd place. You are forced to be a hammer in the world, and my ungentle hands are learning how to tend a plot of land. We must do what we can do.

Did you know that there are some seeds that cannot sprout unless they are first burned? A friend once told me that. She was... she was a bookish sort. I think of gardening constantly these days. I wear your gift, and I think of you, and I think it is interesting that there are some living things that need to pass through fire before they flourish.

I ramble. You have the heart of a gardener, and because of this, you think of consequence, and your current path pains you. I am not wise, and I do not give advice, but I have come to know a few things: sometimes breaking is making. Even iron can start again. And there are many things that move through fire and find themselves much better for it afterward.

I have enclosed a gift. Once it was a sword, but it has changed. It is a small thing, and silly. Please forgive an old man for his foolishness. Still, I hope it brings you some small comfort.

Kindly, Kerr.

and the present inside the envelope? a ring, engraved with the phrase "I have passed through fire."

[sirshio]

I promised you all a long essay on Cavendish and his autism, so here it is. But first, some notes.

Disclaimer number 1: there are headcanons about Cavendish's parents and childhood, but they logically connect to his behavior.

Disclaimer number 2: I'm an autistic person and this essay is about my own experience with this disorder. Though many traits are common for autistic people, it's possible you won't find your issues because I don't have them.

Disclaimer number 3: I'm not a therapist (not a professional one at least, just a huge fan of psychology and a child of a therapist), but I’m a person who deeply relates to Cavendish and wants to share this with fandom.

Disclaimer number 4: English isn't my first language, so sorry for possible mistakes and all this stuff, I’m doing my best.

Well, let's start with something small and not so noticeable and then move to things that are almost impossible not to see.

- his gestures. Not only that moment in "Smooth opera-tor", where he squishes a gummy bear (and Dakota said that he "hypnotized himself"), because I assume that this action is recognizable as pretty autistic without explanations.

Have you noticed how he holds his hands together (what is important, when he was young, too) or clenches them in fists? I'm not sure if these actions do have a name (a type of stimming probably), but I do the same pretty often and in completely different moods, I just like to FEEL my body and my skin, this is a soothing and nice feeling, and when I'm nervous, it helps to calm down a little (let's remember how in "First impressions" Cavendish entered Mr. Block's office).

Another gesture that is important to mention is when Professor Time called him by his name and Cavendish literally squealed and held his hands close to his cheeks (in “Phineas and Ferb effect”). Not sure if this is autistic, but I can relate, so I decided to mention this scene too.

(Him touching and holding Dakota will be in another section, though it's somewhat about gestures too)

- his speech. Again, I have no idea if him using rare words (for example, the word “scrumptious”) is an autistic trait, but I like to do this, mostly because I have a special love for words and I like when my speech is as "bookish" as possible, and him quoting Shakespear “the game is afoot” makes me relate to him too, sometimes I like quoting authors from the past. Another thing that I find important is that Cavendish (unlike Dakota) looks like a well-mannered and polite guy, but sometimes it is Dakota who shows politeness and knows how to talk to people nicely. For example, in "The little engine that couldn't" Dakota uses some polite clichés in his conversation with Milo and confuses Cavendish who understands them literally. Or in “Field of screams” Dakota teaches Cavendish how to ask politely (in the scene with that man who believed in aliens). I think that these two examples show different autistic traits that I have too: understanding everything literally and being (slightly) confused about communicating with other people. Like, why should I ask politely? Why should I be nice to people I don't personally like?

- him listing places where Dakota should've put Time Grenade instead of a hollow pumpkin (in “Milo’s Halloween Scream-a-torium”). Again, I'm not sure if this is autistic, but I can relate, too. I love lists.

- his love for rules. As an autistic person, I like to read rules, to make rules (in the most pedantic way you can imagine) and to follow them (of course, literally) - but I follow only rules I understand and like. So I can relate to young Cavendish enjoying both reading rules for time vehicles and using them, but I can also relate to Cavendish who broke rules and wanted to steal some cool gadgets with Dakota (in “Abducting Murphy’s law”). He doesn't like these rules, that's why he easily disrespects them (and actually likes it). I still don't know why I love rules (and I know this is common for autistic people). Maybe because they help to make life predictable, maybe because they help me to behave "in a proper way" and to be accepted... or both at the same time.

- him talking to himself. Once again, I'm not sure if this is autistic or not, but I do this pretty often.

When I'm excited and/or anxious about doing something new, I often talk to myself, like: "Okay, Shio, let's get going, you can do it!" Remember "First impressions", a scene where young Cavendish sits in his student car and is very proud of himself? The same situation, I think.

- him being a Professor Time fanboy. Remember the scene where our gang visited Doofenshmirtz and Cavendish was so excited about seeing his idol (in “Phineas and Ferb effect”)? Above all, he mentioned he has underwear with Doofenshmirtz's image and offered to show them. Well, it was done as a joke, but this is something I can relate to. If I met my very special idol (I assume that Doof is that figure for Cavendish, he actually said that), I would want to share something personal about myself with them. Not my underwear, of course, but still.

- the way he acts and how he expresses emotions. I believe that's very popular among autistic people, that often it's very hard to suppress our emotions. There are more things that cause emotions (things that are just okay for others), we're somehow more emotional than other people (at least I am) and often don't think if this is appropriate to express these emotions right now. I was told to "act normal and quiet" A LOT of times throughout my entire life, and I only was being sincere with myself and my feelings. Let's look at Cavendish, his emotions and how he expresses them. At the beginning, he seems to be calm and well-mannered, but the more we see, the more we can understand that this is not true. He can pretend to be calm, and the way he does it makes me think that his parents had no idea (and didn't want to have this idea, to be honest) how to raise an autistic child. I'm sure that every time little Cavendish got emotional and was acting "inappropriate" (I say it once more, it's really common for autistic people), he was told to calm down and to be normal. That's why (maybe, but this is my headcanon) he pretends that he's super calm and "above all those sillies". But when he's either in a comfortable situation and feels safe and secure (with Dakota, naturally) or gets really emotional - or both - he lets himself be sincere. He exclaims in joy, he shakes Dakota or holds him close, he acts like a dedicated and overhyped fan (over Professor Time, I mentioned this before).

- him focusing on "wrong" things. Again, that happens with me really often. For example, in “School dance” Mr. Block tells these two to do their job because they have no proof Milo is a special agent, but all that Cavendish got from his speech is that he is allowed to find this proof, because this is what is interesting and important to him, which means he stopped listening after that. I can relate so much!

- his somehow childish behavior, especially in episodes with Dennis, his teddy bear. I found a great post by @heloflor . You SHOULD read it right now, before you end my essay.

Autistic people grow in another way, it's different from other people. In some areas of life we're more mature that other people of our age, and in some we're much more immature. I think this is because autistic children aren't allowed to have a childhood that they need. We're very uncomfortable (because the world is scary, there are loud noises, cars can kill you, being in a crowd is a life-threatening situation) and we can't even help ourselves or even express how afraid we are because This Is Inappropriate. Adults near us don't understand our special interests, they think getting stuck with them is a sign of developmental delay, that we're forever mentally infants. We even can't have our comfort objects that help us to live in this very scary world, because - let's repeat again - This Is Inappropriate. Heloflor wrote a really good post about Cavendish's comfort object, please go and read what he thinks about it!

So, to sum up: Cavendish is not childish, he tries his best to deal with his life, he hasn't really had a childhood and tries to fulfill what he needs now.

Before I'll continue with my analysis of Cavendish's autistic traits, I want to talk about his (pretty low) self-esteem. Of course, it's connected to his mental disability, but it is not the same. As we can see, Cavendish needs praise from someone, he needs to be told that he’s done something right, he can't understand it by himself. He and Dakota saved the world? He can't accept that he did good without praise from Mr. Block. What is also important is how he reacts when someone scolds him (in “Time out” there was a scene where where Cavendish lost a vial of strange liquid that caused rat mutation and Brick scolds him). Just look at him at this moment, he is like a child when his parents are angry at him.

This all makes clear that in his childhood his parents weren't happy with his behavior and never told him anything good about him. If a person can't value themselves, this means their parents didn't value them, didn't love them for who they are (or didn't show this love enough and properly). I believe that it is very difficult for Cavendish to understand that he can be loved because he is, well, Cavendish (NO SHIO PLEASE DON'T QUOTE DAKOTA NO).

When someone has a really low self-esteem, but at the same time has somebody who loves him (as a partner, as a friend, as a relative…), there are several ways to act about that (they may mix). First is to do everything for this person, to become a perfect friend/partner/child/etc. Because only when you're perfect, you deserve love. Always to be by their side, always to understand their feelings (without them telling how they feel), always to share their interests. And I mean always, like, really always. Second is to do something not nice on purpose, something that will annoy this person or make them sad, just to show them that you're NOT nice and do NOT deserve love. (I believe there are more ways, but I know only these two). And I think Cavendish chooses the second way in “Abducting Murphy’s law”, where he loses his temper when Dakota doesn’t believe him.

This whole episode (“Look at this ship”) is another important thing about Cavendish and his autism. First, it seems that Dakota is the closest and the most important person for Cavendish, he believes him, he feels comfortable with him, he feels that Dakota understands him and his special needs (just look at this post about a teddy bear), so it's natural that Cavendish expects Dakota to believe him that he saw an alien ship, but Dakota doesn't, and it's when Cavendish gets emotional and throws a tantrum. I don't excuse him, but I can relate. When someone that is so precious and dear to me, who always understands me, suddenly doesn't believe me, I feel hurt and not needed, I want to leave this person, I think that they are better off without me. And I think that is exactly what happened to Cavendish. Of course Dakota didn't deserve that (in fact, he said that he believes in Cavendish's belief, what means he respects him even without fully understanding), but again, Cavendish’s reaction is normal for someone like him. I believe that his parents never really cared about his needs, his emotions and so on, so Dakota who does this became the most important person. This makes his disbelief even more hurtful. And in addition, Cavendish already was very upset because of them being fired and treated clearly not as he wanted. All this make his emotional condition really bad, and Dakota's words were the last straw.

Second, the alien ship itself is for me a big metaphor for autism. There's something that is important to us (be it a sensor overload, a special need etc.) that other people don't see and don't understand. And some (a lot of) people will never understand, no matter how hard we try to explain. Sometimes it's devastating, sometimes we begin to fear that there's really nothing, sometimes we stop believing ourselves (a scene where Cavendish tries to prove that there's an invisible ship and jumps on it, but at this exact moment there is really no ship). Why didn't he just take Dakota to this thing? Because he already hadn’t believed him, and this is enough. Cavendish tries to get validation from some “experts” (journalists), but all that is in vain.

In addition, I think it is really important that this ship is alien (and not just invisible). Because for other people we are like aliens. We don't understand your rules, your emotions, your culture, we act strange and inappropriate, we are weird… And often you just think we imagined all this, that we are weird or crazy. We don't exist, like aliens.

One more thing before I end this pretty lengthy essay. I'm so glad that in this series people with mental disabilities and issues (like Cavendish) don't look like cute little orphans from a sweet holly story who are so easy to be compassionate with. No, sometimes they are selfish jerks and it's difficult to build a relationship with them. And I think this is really, really important. We are not “quirky and adorkable cuties”, we are people who are often difficult to be with. And it is difficult to be us.

Phew, this is a long essay. I hope I haven’t forgotten anything important! But if you think I have, please feel free to reblog and add :) And I hope you liked what I’ve written.

I wasn't planning to get emotional, but I clearly failed, because Cavendish is so special to me.

P.S. my Tumblr app is crazy, it doesn't allow me to make a post with actual screenshots, that's why I took photos of a screen instead :( sorry for inconvenience.

[westwindy1]

I resent the idea that Hiccup's booksmart.

I’m mostly speaking towards the way people treated Hiccup post the release of the first movie when I say this, however I don’t think Hiccup is anywheres near a conventional genius- or a traditional nerd as the way television portrays it- in the sense that he's great at listing off off stats and is a genius at math and gets 'A's all the time. Not for most of everything we see from him in the franchise.

I don't think he could list off and complete complex calculations in his head off the bat, either.

Things don't come to him immediately, he jots down a copy of toothless' tail fin but doesn't know straight off the bat how to make a verison of Toothless' tail that works, he has to work at his designs it and go through tons of prototypes. He's not a fantastic artist, his sketches are solid but they're messy, a bit 'off', stiff, not great, though everything is translated into cartoon terms if we look at what he draws versus the other things we see in the series his stuff is completely different to how we see other sketches made by other characters in the httyd franchise (like the book of dragons, fishlegs' dragon cards, comparatively he's alright). He's not practiced in things like drawing life and etc and I frankly can't imagine that he'd care too much about improving his skills beyond what he needs to document dragons and scribble down inventions. He can draw something decent if that's what's needed to get things done. I think he gets better as he gets older, though my point still stands.

He's not necessarily a mathematician, even though to make his inventions he has to do a lot of math- he's an inventor working with what he has. His focus is more on the product he's making- that's what all his labor and love goes into, and he's probably not that great at math at all given how many times things blow up in his face- he's average, I think, though his propensity to work at things relentlessly means that he's a lot better than everyone else at it.

He's a genius in the sense that he has some crazy useful ideas but not a genius in the sense that 'he totally has the pieces all down pat.' He has to learn, to figure things out- all of his skills are built. He's innovative, moreso than anyone else on Berk.

Hiccup is really good at taking the initiative, he's a hard worker and he's stubborn. That's why he's able to achieve more. Those are the qualities that allow him to shoot down and make friends with Toothless, that make him a decent mechanic and a phenomenal Viking as a physically average guy in a world full of crazy musclemen.

His talent is putting things together. Half the joy of being able to watch him is being able to experience his process.

Hiccup in any ways being bookish and shy in the most traditional sense is a genuine disservice to that, especially when we already have Fishlegs.

[sleepy-vix]

My name is Vix. 🌪️ 💤❄️

I like coffee, literature, and the colour blue in all its miserable beauty.

typology: intp 5w4 541 sp/sx mel-phleg Rloe|I|

"i am an unspeakable of the Oscar Wilde sort." - Maurice, Edward Forster.

+ i don't participate in tag games anymore

if you sent me an anon ask then check #asks under my profile- if its not in there then i haven't gotten around to it yet :,)

tiktok account: @/ghostly_moonchild

itch.io page: ☆

neoo and pickled sad, where are you guys?

#sleepy vix = my text posts (i promise there are thoughts in there somewhere that are worth reading..)

#vix's visions = moodboards (and my poems??-> tho mostly i post poems in my #vix's journal)

#vix's art = my art (i barely post)

#vix's library = my bookish posts

#vix's journal = about my day, week, stuff that's happened in my life, etc.

#do u ever kin a lyric? and #do you ever kin a lyric? = music related posts (mostly a song lyric out of context)

#asks = asks that i get. no fancy tag

#moots ✮ = my moots :) (ilya)

Also, i will tag triggering things using #tw (the trigger) ✦

My...

Current read: the little prince

Prev Read: howl's moving castle

Current watch: blue period (i loveee it)

Prev watch: big fish- tim burton

Currently playing: just downloaded val but too scared to play

That's all.

current mood: um!

[hushed-chorus]

Hey folks! I hope you've all had a class-act of a week.

Regarding writing, I've made good progress on year three of Those Glowing, Magickal Years. I have three chapters drafted and I'm mostly editing and problem-solving bits of character development. But I did add a scene to chapter eleven that I am quite fond of.

Otherwise, I've been thinking about writing more broadly, and what I want to get out of it long-term. To that end, I've signed up for creative writing classes. It's a short course, but will hopefully give me a better idea of where I am and where I want to be. As it will have homework (and my health limits my laptop time), my fandom writing will slow. Hopefully I'll have year 3 of TGMY largely done before it starts.

Here's an except from upcoming chapter 10. Simon's on his way back to Watford and going over his list.

Maybe I should stop thinking about the food. Besides, there’s so many other great things at Watford.  Like magic, of course. Magic. My magic is still shit, but I love it anyway. Being around it, seeing all the things it can do. I especially like seeing my friends cast magic. Especially Penelope and Baz. And the football pitch. Baz and I sometimes play at lunch. It used to be part of our competition, seeing who was the best at things, but he’s proven he’s better than me over and over and now we play five-a-side for fun. He’s even been showing me some of his moves. I think I’m getting better. I even tackled him without fouling before the summer holidays. Then my room. Our room, I mean. We do our homework together, and he helps me with things I missed or didn’t get in classes. We even had a sword fight in there once, using the fake swords, until he accidentally hit a bit too hard and the Anathema numbed his hand. Now we spar out in the hills, where we won’t be seen and Baz won’t get embarrassed. I showed him loads of sweet moves, but I always beat him. Baz isn’t top of my list of people, though. That’s Penelope, because she was my friend first. She’s a genius problem-solver. I still owe her an adventure after she missed out on the counting sheep stuff. I don’t think she’ll ever stop being jealous of Baz.

Hello tags below the cut!

@artsyunderstudy @facewithoutheart @captain-aralias @raenestee @cutestkilla

@ivelovedhimthroughworse @larkral @stitchyqueer @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @ileadacharmedlife

@confused-bi-queer @aristocratic-otter @whogaveyoupermission @nightimedreamersworld @fatalfangirl

@thewholelemon @onepintobean @shrekgogurt @theearlgreymage @martsonmars

@blackberrysummerblog @orange-peony @valeffelees @j-nipper-95 @rimeswithpurple

@wellbelesbian @imagineacoolusername @youarenevertooold @iamamythologicalcreature @supercutedinosaurs

@alexalexinii @bookish-bogwitch @cosmicalart @bazzybelle @theotherhufflepuff

@that-disabled-princess @prettygoododds @mooncello @noblecorgi @roomwithanopenfire

@alexalexinii  @emeryhall @monbons @brendughh @run-for-chamo-miles

@brilla-brilla-estrellita

[random-thought-depository]

Lately a lot of people on Tumblr have been dunking on a couple of articles written by young women talking about their choices to date and marry older men, or, well, really mostly people have been dunking on a couple of choice (cringe, distasteful to left/liberal sensibilities) screenshotted quotes from those articles (I confess I have not read the articles). People have explained the sentiments expressed in those quotes as thinly veiled tradcath baby factory propaganda or kink that these women aren't acknowledging as kink, but my hot take on reading them was to wonder if these women were the kind of neurodivergent people who got along a lot better with adults than with their peers when they were kids.

The specific screenshotted quotes people were dunking on very much felt like they might be what happens when an autistic girl who was proud of how much Daddy, the English teacher, and the hall monitor liked her when she was 13 (because she related to them better and they were frankly kinder to her than her modal peer and she hoped her closeness to them would earn her protection from peer abuse) becomes a twenty-something woman and takes that mindset and applies it to romance/sexuality in an androphilic direction.

Cause I was the boy version of a kid like that and I think if my life had taken a couple of different turns my twenty-something self might have married an older woman and written a cringe and mildly politically/morally suspect essay about how it's awesome and more boys my age should consider it. It'd have sounded different from the girl version, cause gender roles and relevant physical sex differences, but I could totally see it including stuff that might creep out or anger a lot of people here (e.g. suggesting that smart and intellectual older teenage and twenty-something boys might want to try dating older women because older women appreciate smart and intellectual men more, a position that version of me might have arrived at by extrapolating from a comparison of the way adults tended to react to his nerdy/bookish interests and curiosity about the world/cosmos when he was a teenager to the way his peers, very relevantly including the girls, tended to react to those traits when he was in middle school and high school).

[monbons]

✨9 people you’d like to know better✨

Last Song: I just cleaned up my writing playlist for my fic, so mostly that. But normally I listen to reggaeton and hip-hop on repeat and dance around the house or drop it like it's hot while doing dishes. [Hilarious side note: I was doing laundry while listening to some Lil John or Sean Paul (probably) when I was 9 months pregnant with the first kiddo. I did in fact drop it low at one point, my water instantly broke, and I went into very active labor while no one else was home. Fun times...]

Favorite Color: Barbie pink. Magenta. Millennial pink. Dusty rose. Blush. Anything and everything pink. [Another fun fact: My first tattoo was literally the word "pink" on my shoulder. In black ink. Ha! I was 18 and stupid. I've since gotten a sick coverup. But talk about years of confused stares and questions.]

Currently Watching: Had a day date with the hubs last week to watch Dune. Binging Young Royals.

Sweet/Savory/Spicy: All of the above? Give me some good Thai food (which has all these flavors + sour) and I am in heaven. In fact, be my friend long enough and I will have you over for Thai. I'm an excellent cook.

Relationship Status: Married for 10 years. Bagged him at a mutual friend's holiday party 12 years ago because I kicked his ass at beer pong.

Current Obsession: Snowbaz is my entire personality. In my mind, I am Baz Pitch.

Last Thing You Googled: Are hawks associated with Athena? (Did this for work. A kid made me question what I definitely knew. The answer is no.)

Thanks for the tag @raenestee! (All the below also applies to you!)

I've seen this making the rounds, so I am sure everyone I am tagging has probably already done this. Instead, accept this as my super awkward way of saying you seem cool/I fangirl over your stuff/I make a good friend and you should adopt me because I am clearly a little cool based on my answers.

@thewholelemon, @roomwithanopenfire, @cutestkilla, @bookish-bogwitch, @artsyunderstudy, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe, @drowninginships, @valeffelees, @emeryhall

[luminous-jellyfish]

A Writeblr Intro (English Version)

Link zur deutschen Version

Hi, I'm Marlin! I've been lurking on tumblr and in its writing community for years but was always too shy to engage. Now I've finally decided to start sharing my own stuff (mainly to organize myself) and become active!

⫸ About Me ⫷

I go by Marlin (she/her), or on some platforms by luminous-jellyfish

mid 20s, queer

I write (mostly) in German, but post (mostly) in English

my favorite genre is fantasy, and all the different direction fantasy can go in, but I like trying my hand at genre mixing

my main blog where I reblog general stuff and fandom things and so on is @secondrealitytotheright

⫸ Current WIPs ⫷

I'm currently most actively working on a few different stories that all take place in the same world (though at slightly different points in time) that I've dubbed "leviathan world" in my notes - after the gigantic sea creatures that live in its deep oceans (and sometimes the sky, who can resist sky whales, seriously). I would probably call it a fantasy world with steampunk elements.

All of those stories feature queerness in different forms, and most of them include at least slight elements of what might be called body horror.

All of these stories are still operating under working titles and are in various, wildly differing draft stages. As always I have far too much planned in this world but these four are the stories I'm actually actively writing right now:

Seeds beneath our skin

Genre: Magical Academy Fantasy, Coming-of-age story

Setting: a group of islands and archipelagos near the equator, where the leviathans are generally both revered and feared as holy and powerful creatures connected to the spirit world

Short Summary: A young girl who grew up as a sea nomad joins the temple that has controlled religious practices throughout the islands for a hundred years. Against her will she becomes a key figure in the struggle for power and religious freedom that is about to grip the temple. To survive spirit possession, human intrigue and ideological differences she is forced to reconsider her identity and world view and define herself on her own terms.

Honey cakes and bloody satin

Genre: Steampunk Fantasy, (Cozy?) Mystery, Romance

Setting: a harbor city on the northern continent, famous for their leviathan hunters, where a technological revolution is happening as the blood of leviathans is turned into a powerful fuel

Short Summary: A journalist working for a revolutionary underground newspaper and a seamstress involved in the golem's rights movement are thrown together when a man dies right in front of their eyes. They must work together and solve the crime while also hiding everything happening from the Watch, to protect both of their secrets.

Short WIP Intro

Half the lights

Genre: High Fantasy Adventure, Romance

Setting: A city on the back of a leviathan, as well as the open skies, oceans and harbors frequented by smugglers, messengers and pirates

Short Summary: A wealthy, bookish young woman who dreams of investigating weather phenomenons escapes having to forge a psychic bond with the leviathan carrying her home city on its back. She stows away on a messenger ship and finds herself among a shady crew of smugglers. Eventually she gets herself involved in pirate adventures, a political revolution and a growing attraction to a headstrong fighter with a rigid code of honor and high ideals.

And surrendered the flesh

Genre: Science Fantasy

Setting: a big city in a sub-tropical climate, surrounded by jungles and plains that have been gripped by a powerful virus that contorts nature and all living things

Short Summary: A young girl from the country travels to the city to find her missing sister and gets involved with an organisation that strives to perfect the human body. An ambitious scientist fights to be recognised for her genius and to keep her past mistakes secret. An old woman is forced to join a struggle she has been hiding from for years and rediscover forgotten powers to try and save her grandchild. All three of them will shape the face of the city.

[therealkaidertrash21]

Even in the future the story begins with once upon a time ✨

Introduction ✮⋆𖦹°

⚘ About me: Hello! you can call me Ema, my pronouns are she/her but i dont really care. Im a minor.

𖦹 I'm from Argentina 🇦🇷⭐⭐⭐ English isn't my first language so correct me if I say something wrong.

𖦹 I'm also very introverted so I I'll probably not talk to my moots, but y'all feel free to do so <3 I'd love to get to know you better <333.

𖦹 more things about me; I'm a POC (white and asian), cats are my favorite animal, blue and purple my favorite colors, I LOVE tea, I'm supposedly an INFP, I'm a Sagittarius, a vegetarian.

⚘ My hobbies: love reading (I wish I had more time to do it), drawing, music, art, jewelry making, baking, crafts in general, watching movies and shows. and once in a blue moon I feel like writing something.

⚘ My interests:

- Books: The Lunar Chronicles (this is what I will mostly post about), Ivy Aberdeen's Letter to the World, Letters of Enchantment, The Hunger Games, The Night Circus, Loveless, etc.

- TV shows: The Good Place, Arcane, Inside Job, Hannibal (in progress), The Walking Dead (in progress), She-Ra, Gravity Falls, My lady Jane, Bridgerton (guilty pleasure), etc.

- Movies: About Time, Brave, When Marnie Was There, Yo Adolescente, Corpse Bride, La Historia Oficial, The Truman Show, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Frances Ha, etc.

- Music: Mitski, Solya, Clics Modernos (album), Peperina (album), 80's songs, many random things, The Black Parade (album), Abba, mother mother, Chappell Roan, etc.

- Subjects: biology, art, history, literature.

𖦹Here I will post pretty much anything (bookish stuff, about music, series or movies, maybe my drawings, and lots of other random things), but mostly about The Lunar Chronicles.

𖦹 my even more random and unhinged side blog: @yourbestamericangirlk

⚘ DNI if: you are a zionist, or support any genocide, homophobic, transphobic, racist, sexist, ableist, a pedophile, or just awful in general.

⚘ Tags: #ema blackburn draws #ema blackburn drawing

[whatevertheweather]

Happy Sunday! Thanks for the tags @artsyunderstudy @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @forabeatofadrum and everyone else who's tagged me recently!

I'm sad to report that life keeps making me do stuff other than write, but I did write quite a bit yesterday, so all's right with the world for now, even though it was mostly for the wrong thing. I am working on CORB, but I'm having trouble picking things to share out of context, so this is from the other one. The wrong one.

So, three things to know here: we're in a strangers to lovers timeline, they're both very drunk, and also, just in case, trigger warning for canonically unkind treatment of rats.

“Baz, right?” Baz jumped and spun around. He stared in wobbly incomprehension for a moment, a hundred disjointed facts falling together all out of order, nonetheless forming enough of a picture that Baz finally launched the rat he was holding behind the nearest bin with all the speed he could manage. All the strength, too, apparently. It sounded like a bullet hitting the tin of the bin, the reverberation endless and deafening as it bounced off the alley walls. Simon’s eyes belatedly wandered over to the ruckus, a single bemused blink before he looked at Baz again. It felt like an age, the moment Baz spent watching a little furrow pinch between his brows, his lips slowly parting to— “Right,” Baz interrupted. And then he wiped his palms clumsily on his coat while his brain tread water trying to remember why he’d said it. Because…ah. “I’m Baz.”

Tags under the cut <3

@fatalfangirl @moodandmist @whogaveyoupermission @cutestkilla @bookish-bogwitch @martsonmars @facewithoutheart @ivelovedhimthroughworse @aristocratic-otter @nightimedreamersworld @ileadacharmedlife @iamamythologicalcreature @alexalexinii @rimeswithpurple

[the---hermit]

Finally picking up ntn, and the result of my first round of storing in jars the herbs I dried.

31|07|2023

I am not even going to rant about how July is at its end. In the past few days I worked, I finished putting stuff up on the shelves in my room, watched tv shows and I finally got a bit more time to read. Today I decided it was time to start storing in jars the herbs I hanged up to dry a while back. While I worked on it I listened to two full books unbound episodes plus an entire other video essay on ya fantasy. I haven't even stored a third of all the herbs, but it's a start nonetheless. As I was saying in the past few days not only I watched the last few episode of the witcher, finishing the 3rd season which I liked much more than the 2nd. But I also watched the whole good omens 2nd season. I have binged watched yeasterday as a little treat for having worked so much in the past week, and it brough me a lot of joy and it also destroyed me emotionally. I also finally finished reading Juniper And Thorn by Ava Reid this morning, and as I am writing this Nona The Ninth is right beside me waiting for me to finally pick it up.

Chill hobbit summer activities of the past few days:

Read first thing in the morning (ngl I skipped a couple of days of this)

Wrote the book reviews of the last few books I read and posted this one

Continued my reviews of Irish on duolingo

Worked at my family's store

Did a lot of history themed crosswords with my brother

Finished organizing my bedroom

Enjoyed some tv shows which I hadn't done in a while

Listened to bookish podcasts

Started to store my herbs in jars

Updated my reading journal and made my august speads (as for my bujo I kinda let it go in the past few months, mostly because I use it for planning study stuff. I made a couple of useful spreads in these weeks but no monthly set up or anything, I am just vibing with it as a tool more than a habit at the moment)

📖: Juniper And Thorn by Ava Reid

[infini-tree]

so me and and another collaborator have been spitballing some concepts re: tetocu, but mostly the kids introduced. a lot of it involved having them show a more varied/deeper look at them to emphasize the original book’s themes of kids vs. the school system and it lowkey snowballed into what’s basically an indulgent dt17-esque reboot (in terms of how much it keeps faithful/what it changes with the source material), but tetocu.

anyway, here’s a lineup and a few out-of-context doodles of potential interactions/conflicts/’episodes’. there’s more info on the characters under the read more

general points

one of the main points of contention was the kids. the ensemble cast was honestly a good call for a tv series, but the kids are just surface-level tropes, if they even have a particular angle to them in the first place. as cute as the MISFARTS concept was, it was difficult to buy into it considering how little development there were for the introduced kids

the kids

gooch (aka steve aka suketsugu) is practically a bit of a rewrite situation from his canon counterpart. he’s moved from japan to the US, and frequently around the country as a result of his family needing to move with the museum pieces they’re taking care of. during this time, he’s had to pick up english, and as a result he’s learned to be a bit of a fast-talker to make sure conversations don’t derail from him. him, stanley, and bo are a trio in this one

stanley’s a pretty chill guy for the most part and ridiculously strong as a result of hauling produce on the family farm. a few years ago, he transferred from a different, much rougher school thanks to his new stepdad

bo is mostly the same, save from elaboration re: his background. bullshark had this idea where he lived in a woodsy area all his life and was immediately made the subject of school rumor after bringing a whittling knife. the heart of the trio

dressy is another rewrite situation where her hippie gimmick was angled more towards Animal Enjoyer, which was then further angled towards That One [Insert Animal Here] Kid. as a result of her independent nature, she doesn’t get along with the rest of the kids initially since she has a similar near-sightedness to the boys re: their pranks, but with her LARP shennanigans, sometimes picking fights

erica is a little nerfed in the sense that she isn’t this ultra perfect girl anymore. she leans more into the type of child forced to grow up too fast to help with their parents-- in the dm’s she helped around the house by taking care of her siblings. in reality, she’d love to do kids’ stuff like LARP as her self-insert

jessica (and by extension the sophies’) gimmick was angled more towards being a pageant queen. she’s still plenty vain as her canon self, but she can pinpoint anyone’s emotional vulnerabilities after being in the pageant circuit for so long. she also hides her own vulnerabilities regarding her dad who had left in a divorce a few years ago

sophie one is still her right hand/a bit more favored with jessica, but with the justification that she and jessica had prior history together as a result of her mom being part of jessica’s pageant crew-- so she actually knows quite a lot about the world of fashion, sewing, hairdressing, etc. there’s also the concept of her having an older sibling who was once in the pageant circuit, leaving her alone while her mom and sister were off backstage

other sophie mostly just tags along with jessica and sophie 1 of her own volition, but the other kids don’t get it (she has a baby crush on jessica).  mostly just a daydreamer and bookish

[bcolfanfic]

all the #young vet au world building and background posts are sooo good <3

would love love love to know more about how the boys were able to 'date' when they first got together - the stuff you're already explored (like the first kiss) makes my heart ache with the cuteness

(i'm sorry if i missed it but are they the same age as the #mota boys here?)

good luck with your busy week :)

yeahh the ages are more or less the same!!! i have it in my head (and in the planning doc for the during-war fic that may or may not be written...eventually) that gale enlists when he's 21/bucky is 3 years older than him. i ended up bumping curt's age up by a year bc i wanted him to have an extra year on bucky lol, and ken is still the wittle baby of the gang! everyone else i could not tell you their birthdays off the top of my head anyways lmfao so you can just assume theyre the same age as they are in the show/historically. putting a chunk of my during-war planning doc below for ref but it is very word salady so sorry about that!

(while i loveee hyperrealism i am fucking a whole lot with how exactly tech school works bc i still wanted the bucks to both be pilots alongside being security forces/EOD and that's...not exactly how the air force works in reality lol. the path to be a pilot is completely diff then basic -> tech school. butttt this is a work of fanfic so in the interest of grinding my teeth and taking some creative liberties flight school is built into tech school and they maybe continue flight training while they're in africa. also random side bar, re: actually fully leaving the air force aftert they leave afghanistan, i currently have croz in my mind as staying in. lives in the uk bc he ended up getting sent to a RAF base that supports the us air force there, maybe RAF mildenhall? rosie also stays in for a lil longer because he almost goes down the JAG path but decides not to. still have to figure out what exactly im doing with the others outside of the core four who do just get straight out (core four as in bucky/gale/curt/ken).)

anyyways....to your actual question LOL. like i've said before i think it gets more practical when they're in afghanistan. obv *war wise* its more chaotic but they have their lil bunk room with curt and dickie and can let their guard down a little more. not just with them but with the other guys that they become closer with. it's still not ideal and they still can't manitain a relationship like they'd be able to in the states but. they find 'their things'. when i was messing with tech school stuff i threw around something that curt kinda ribs at them for being sitting practically in each other's laps on the couch when reading for class. and given how bookish they both are (gale more non-fictiony, bucky fiction) i think that'd be a cute lil something they do overseas too as ~enrichment time~. and if one or both of em has had a really rough day maybe instead of doing their own silent reading one of them reads out loud to the other one. it's just comforting <3 its the little things that are the Big things over there bc it does take an actual effort to make even that time for each other y'know? apparently bagram had a tiny subway that was open 24 hours a day, makes me chuckle thinking about them going there at odd hours, maybe when they can't sleep, just to be together when its mostly quiet.