#love to write essays no one asked for on tumblr dot com

[septembersghost]

people have been so mean about EP's looks and health later in life but something I loved in the movie was how it points out his voice. his voice was almost too powerful. even though he was suffering, he kept singing with all his might.

that part in the movie is when i fully break (if i can dream breaks me for different reasons 💖). that old voice rang out, and he sang with all his life. he is singing for his life. he's singing for everything, with everything he has. the film underscores this for us with such frankness and compassion. it was love. all along, it was love.

i have an excerpt saved somewhere about his voice and how he worked to keep expanding and improving it, how its tone got even more rich and full, the golden qualities it took on. since i can't find it right now and that's going to bother me, i'll use some others!

sherrill nielsen (the gospel tenor who sang backup for e with the imperials/voice) said it really well: "He got even more maturity in his voice as he got older; I was often amazed at his range, just as one singer listening to another. He could sing anything. I've never seen such a versatility, and in fact I don't see it today. Usually a voice can sing one way, but he had that ability about him, and he helped me to learn the importance of communication with an audience. He had such great soul. He had the ability to make everyone in the audience think that he was singing directly to them. He just had a way with communication that was totally unique."

if you listen to him sing from that later period, there are these aspects of his voice that go from like honey to thunder, bell to timpani. all the romanticism and sensuality from when he was young matures into that embrace of aching soulfulness, and yet he could still be sweet and light, and funny too. the spiritual songs feel even more inspired. the love songs more warm and yet sometimes more sharp-edged all at once, the robustness of his voice threaded through with tender melancholy beneath it. you said his voice was almost too powerful, and what remarkably softens its power is that infusion of humanity, hurt to humor. he might be too overwhelmingly powerful, except he's still elvis, and his gift was connection. the heart he laid into his music doesn't become more guarded, but less so. he's right there, giving all he has, and that's for us. (okay, the audience at the time, but it's still for us too.) he'd sing, and then he'd get that deceptively innocent grin and almost dare them - do you like it? you wanna hear me sing it better? - and then he would. through everything, whatever battles there might have been...music was the sanctuary to lay the armor down. he gave that with every part of himself and with such love for the people who'd rapturously share it with him and reach out for what he was offering. it's as though his spirit got closer and closer to the surface, and etched itself in every song.

these quotes are all sort of asides, that came up when i tried to google the actual thing i was looking for, but they're so <333

"I am reminded of a comment made shortly after the death of Elvis Presley by a musician he had worked with. He pointed out that despite an impressive vocal range of two and a half octaves and something approaching perfect pitch, Elvis was perfectly willing to sing off-key when he thought the song required it. Those off-key notes were art." - Patrick H. Adkins

"His personality was also extremely endearing, his interviews were very self-effacing, and he came over as gentle and was generous in his praise of others. He had a natural, technical ability, but there was something in the humanity of his voice, and his delivery." - Ian Gillan of Deep Purple

"The guy had a thousandth-octave range, and a variety in his vocal styles and approach, he could make more vocal tones, with just his voice, than a guitar player with 50 pedals and gadgets. If you never even saw the guy, you could plain feel, not just hear, the emotion and passion in his voice, and you are immediately taken in, one hundred percent." - Country singer Roger Wallace "He was the most commercially successful singer of rock and roll, but he also had success with ballads, country, gospel, blues, pop, folk and even semi-operatic and jazz standards. His voice, which developed into many voices as his career progressed, had always a unique tonality and an extraordinarily unusual center of gravity, leading to his ability to tackle a range of songs and melodies which would be nearly impossible for most other popular singers to achieve."

"Presley brought an excitement to singing, in part because rock and roll was greeted as his invention, but for other reasons not so widely reflected on: Elvis Presley had the most beautiful singing voice of any human being on earth." - William F. Buckley, Jr.

"The voice is so melodious, and - of course, by accident, this glorious voice and musical sensibility was combined with this beautiful, sexual man and this very unconscious - or unselfconscious stage movements. Presley's registration, the breadth of his tone, listening to some of his records, you'd think you were listening to an opera singer. But…it's an opera singer with a deep connection to the blues." - Jerry Wexler, co-founder of Atlantic Records.

"Elvis' range was about two and a quarter octaves, as measured by musical notation, but his voice had an emotional range from tender whispers to sighs down to shouts, grunts, grumbles and sheer gruffness that could move the listener from calmness and surrender, to fear. His voice can not be measured in octaves, but in decibels; even that misses the problem of how to measure delicate whispers that are hardly audible at all." - Lindsay Waters, Executive Editor for the Humanities at Harvard University Press

the quote i shared the other day, saying he could go from "nearly infinite sweetness, to ferocity, to spirituality, to tremendous power," it's extraordinary how accessible that sensation still is, how vibrant in recordings, studio or live, in film footage, professional or barely visible from old cameras. @joons (who probably could explain this better or add more to this than me!), sent me this the other night:

it's like he existed to fulfill every purpose of what music is meant to do - thrill, inspire, mourn, rejoice, storm, caress, devastate, uplift - whatever a song could require, he'd meet it. it's why he was a rock and roll sensation and yet so revelatory with the gospel music too. it wasn't this separation of the profane and holy for him, it was ALL sacred in its own way. and as someone who believes music is a miracle and exists in many ways in a realm that's bigger than us (us not even being only humans! animals are touched by music too, for many reasons. it's beyond speech, beyond boundaries, beyond feelings we can form into words). it was all his soul reaching the souls listening. and nearer the end of his life, that took on richer qualities. i know my unabashed favorites are the american sound recordings, and the whole period from like '68-'72, where i feel like he was at that gorgeous cross-section between where he'd begun and where his voice would go, he's at this crackling range of technical strength and emotive finesse, but sometimes the music from later washes over me like a wave when i listen to it.

i talk a lot, but this was a perfect thing for you to send to me today, because we can look back and remember and celebrate this:

i think about him saying he was just a little guy with a shaky leg, and the tremendous talent he honed so innately and beautifully, and the incalculable impact that had on the world of music, on countless artists, and continues to have to this day. an unchained melody.

he sang as he always did, with all his heart and soul.

#love to write essays no one asked for on tumblr dot com #anonymous #letterbox #elvis presley #i was a dreamer #music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent #sail on silver girl; sail on by #*

[slytherinshua]

warning: sappiness ahead fr

it's been 424 days since i started my blog, and here we are.

1000 followers.

1000.

10 to the power of 3.

that is, in fact, a lot of people.

i can't even begin to understand how 1000 people like my writing. i think that it will still take me a while to feel like a good writer, even though i've just accomplished this milestone of followers.

i feel like a novice all the time, because, well, i've only been writing since january of 2022 (613 days, if i've calculated correctly). this hobby of mine was spontaneous and new and is still something i need to get a lot better at. i never wrote when i was younger apart from academic essays, it just wasn't something i found interesting, but since i've gotten into fanfiction, i've found my place where i can write and be creative.

the sincerest thank you to everyone who likes my writing. whether you were my first follower or my 1000th follower, i love you.

somehow this has started to feel like a well thought out thank you speech for some big occasion, even though it's just funny old tumblr dot com where little zanna reached a milestone. but this feels like an eventful day, but i'm still writing just whatever comes to my mind, none of this post was planned beforehand.

i want to really really thank the people who have been a big part of my life, my tumblr moots and close friends. (more sappiness ahead ew)

@eternalgyu hannie is the entire reason i am even writing on this platform. she was the start to everything, from the very second i created this blog to now, she's been here for all 424 days. and i can't even understand why she has stuck with me for that long, but i love her more than anyone else on this planet. i've dumped all my ideas on her and given her spoilers for fics i was writing. she's given me so many ideas and suggestions that have really helped along the way to create this blog and get it to where it is today. she will always be number 1 for me. she is irreplaceable. hannie, i love you so much.

@blue-jisungs axe :D the first blog i followed, and my first moot. she has been here from before i hit 100 followers. she's read my shitty old writing from when this blog was just starting to form. and i thank her for sticking with me cause my writing back then was not the greatest, let's just say that. axe has always been someone i looked up to, especially when i was first starting. i loved her writing and it inspired a lot of the first fics i wrote for this blog!! she'll always be one of my closest friends, i love her so much.

@hannahsophie0103 thank you for being one of the first people to send in requests, and for continuing to give me ideas. i get a lot of requests now, but when this blog was still a fetus, my inbox sat empty for weeks and weeks. i got so inspired and motivated whenever i got a request, and writing was truly so fun whenever i felt like i was writing for someone.

sorry for lumping you all together, but all my caratblr moots, i love you so much. everyone in the moot circle especially-- who i've talked to on the discord server-- you are some of my closest friends, and i love how we're all here, just writing some silly little fics for seventeen on tumblr. some of you have absolutely incredible writing that i can only hope to achieve one day. when i read some of your fics, it feels like actual art. words strung together so beautifully that i can say with no hesitation that you've created an actual masterpiece. thank you for inspiring me and talking to me daily, i hope you haven't gotten bored of me. you all feel like my close friend group, who i could share anything with and you'd still support and love me. thank you for being friends with me, and i love you.

i think that we've passed all the sappy speech part yay!! now to announce my 1K follower event :) *drum roll*

the love sight event.

what's the love sight event, you may ask? well, although i had dozens of ideas for what to do once i reached 1K, i decided that since txt was the start for this blog, i wanted them to be the centre of my event.

love sight will be a multiple part series where each member of txt will get their own fic.

i've put a lot of thought and planning into this event (only the planning though, i have a long way to go for actually writing the fics, but i'll get there eventually). i expect that actually completing this event will take... a very long time. so please bear with me as i write these fics!!

i have some other things planned soon for fics, such as the caratsland song event and some possible collaborations, so if there is a wait between fics for love sight, i'm sorry about that!!

i hope you all really enjoy the event, and once again, thank you. all 1000 of you, thank you so much. - zanna

#slytherinshua's 1k event!!

[glauconaryue]

I have been on this hellsite for years and only now do I learn that writeblr introductions are, apparently, a thing. So here goes my

Writeblr Introduction

Glauconar Yue (they/them, xe/xir)

Nonbinary trans femme lesbian

I write horror, weird fantasy and poetry.

I also do drag and theatre sometimes.

I grew up with Spanish and German, I write in both and also in English or mixing it all up.

I love to meet people on tumblr dot com so please send asks and dms if you see common interests.

My novels

El Empalador (Spanish)

Gothic horror, historical fantasy

A retelling of the life of Vlad Tepes Dracula, blending myth and history through the paranoia of a doomed antihero.

Las crónicas del templo negro (Spanish)

High fantasy, metafiction

Immortals form a community to share their knowledge, but their individual personalities and strange abilities make coexistence no easy task. The book includes many notes on alternative translations of the cryptic source texts.

Das Herz des Zahnradmädchens (German)

Steampunk, romance

An inventor finds a mysterious female automaton whose body contains mechanical and magical secrets. To confront industrial and supernatural threats, they must first figure out their own feelings.

Many shorter texts have been published in magazines and collections, see a longer list here.

My WIPs

Graustadt: Kopfgeldjäger und Mythen

Urban fantasy, crime thriller

A couple of bounty hunters trying to make a living in a run down city. They hunt for magical artefacts and literally for the heads of luckless outlaws, while trying to not get caught up in the rising gang wars.

Status: Volume 1/3 completed, figuring out how to best publish it.

Princess on the Run

Quest fantasy, queer fairy tale, road story

After her castle is burned down, a princess roams across the land, stealing cars, fighting ghosts and con-men, questioning both her gender and nobility.

Status: Scattered fragments in various languages.

Discurso de Transmutación Alquímica

Queer poetry, witchcraft

A queer reading of alchemical mysticism, celebrating gender transition as a spiritual process. The poetical essay with embedded sonnets mixes Spanish and English, historical language and neopronouns.

Status: Revising and expanding on it.

Voyage of the Lieutenant Nun: Transition of Public Spaces

Experimental theatre

My second take on the historical queer figure of an infamous swashbuckler and sinner nun that terrorized South America in the 17th Century. Likely to contain Catholic drag and mixed language gibberish.

Status: Funding approved, probably showing in Cologne this summer. Writing in process, dates tba.

These are the book-sized ones, many small texts are constantly in the works or just happening.

Thanks for reading, I'd be happy to hear from you!

#fantasy #gothic #horror #theatre #writeblr intro #glauconaryue #my writing #weird fiction #queer poetry #author

[maimingkillingiii]

I feel bad that’s your first ask now- HAISJS! So, your top Saw characters? With reasons if you want to include.

OUGHHHH I can’t keep putting off answering this ask. This is so so hard for me. It would be easier to answer my favorite movie in the franchise (LYING). Anyway.

Obviously Amanda is my Number One Pookie of All Time. Blorbo Supreme. She’s just so cool. I don’t just like her because “teehee, make two women kiss” (although we love playing with characters like dolls). She just has so much going on and it breaks my heart but it also makes me feel seen, which now that I say it may be the biggest red flag any human has ever admitted to in the history of the universe (being facetious).

I know I post a lot about Saw women (or at least rb a lot of posts about Saw women), but I don't want to say that any of them are "favorites" (except Amanda because that's just such a basic thing to say). I cannot form a coherent thought about any one of them and I feel gross if I think about them for more than approximately four seconds at a time (these conditions are related, and are probably also related to “teehee, make two women kiss,” but we aren’t unpacking that today). Also a lot of them got super fumbled as characters (if they were even that developed) which pains me and I don’t have hope that they’ll ever stop (although I can dream). But yeah, while I'm sure I could probably tier-list all of the Saw women and maybe write essays about several of them if given a couple of days, I don't feel confident in my abilities to claim any of them as favorites (aside from Amanda, who I did write an essay about for one of my classes many semesters ago.)

Wow, short list. Okay, uhhhh… Adam and Lawrence? They are a set, do not separate. Without them there is no Saw. They at least deserve a mention. I cannot write an essay about them, but I don’t need to because that’s why we have Ao3 I guess?

There are plenty of other characters I like for one reason or another (often silly reasons, like "they're pathetic" or "they said the realest one-liners") but I genuinely cannot think of them which is so sad 💔 smh all these fake Saw fans on tumblr dot com (me) (this is a joke)

These are the most basic opinions anyone has ever had. I'm sure if I really put my mind to it I could pull some truly wild choice for favorite character out of my skull, but I am so so lazy and I just don't want to put in the effort to saying that like, Troy from Saw 3 is my favorite character (he's not, but you get what I'm saying.)

#sawposting #asks #hopefully my brain doesn't sound too fried and this comes across as at least semi-coherent rambling #it's been a rough week and it's only monday so...

[sagethegremlin]

here i am, asking you about sonic leitmotifs. rant as much as you can

oh where on earth shall i begin c;

i could easily talk forever about this, but ill split it into three main sections to be a little more digestible

My favorite instance of a sonic leitmotif

DUDE HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED SA1

So we start out the game and its pretty straightforward until we get to gamma. He's the odd one out in the whole lineup, and this is reflected in his theme. Every single other character has a vocal theme (which are all really good btw), but gammas is purely instrumental (and one cool thing that i saw someone point out once is how the beginning of the song sounds like a startup).

But there are two main melodies in gammas theme (and man if this was a convo and not a paragraphed tumblr dot com post id just sing em), and they get their biggest use in the song unbound.

Unbound is so important because it uses gammas leitmotif to recontextualize his theme as not for him, but as for the flicky that's inside him.

If we want to take this one step further, we could see one of Gamma's melodies as the robot (that first part of unbound with the piano before it gets into the dramatic part with the horn), and the other as the flicky inside, which fits together perfectly in gammas theme, but we see them "unbound" from each other in unbound.

It isn't just the fact that the leitmotif is used, either. It is so beautifully crafted that it truly feels like a solemn sendoff, and I adore it. :)

2. My favorite sonic song and how it uses leitmotifs

HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED SATBK BECAUSE I HAVEN'T AND I'M SO UPSET OVER IT EVERY DAY

Ok so you start off the game and what's the first thing you hear? Knight of the Wind. And as you progress through various cutscenes, you can faintly hear that beginning moment in the song.

Knight of the Wind stands for fighting for freedom. For doing what's right.

But at the end of the game, we get the leitmotif in a new form. In the form of my favorite sonic song, and of one of my favorite songs in general: Live Life.

I need you to listen to the beginning of Knight of the Wind and then listen to the beginning of Live Life. It's the exact same leitmotif. It's the leitmotif used throughout the entirety of the game. The leitmotif that previously stood for courage and kindness, now also taking on the meaning of hope and change (which can in turn apply to all of the cutscenes it appeared in!!! :D).

Not only does Live Life carry on the leitmotif into a slightly different message, but when you hear the leitmotif in Knight of the Wind, it's this commanding tune on guitar, a contrast to the beautiful and slower version on violin that plays in Live Life, in a completely different key no less!

3. My favorite sonic soundtrack and how it uses leitmotifs (perfectly)

BABYGIRL HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED SONIC 06 BECAUSE I HAVE AND IT'S MY BABYGIRL I LOVE IT SO MUCH BABYGIRL

God I could talk about the leitmotifs in 06 for literal hours but the good news is I already have! :D

Here's this post because honestly if I tried talking about it again I would just repeat myself lol

All this to say when I finally sit down and write a sonic music video essay its over for you fuckers c:

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic music

[catboygretzky]

any Thoughts on logan stankoven cropping up in your olen zellweger journey? signed, a stars fan starved for some stanks love on tumblr dot com

ohhh my GOD my love for logan stankoven knows no bounds like that is my CAPTAIN my BEST FRIEND please you must all be aware he is NOT part of my olen zellweger journey he is his own journey !!!!!!

speaking of journey:

look at him! look at him!

most of you may know him from this image, yes?

but! there is more! so much more! so once again, i'm about to write an essay with video links that few people will actually read but that hardly matters. stars fans ya gotta check this man out and i would 100/10 recommend everyone in general to check this man out.

stars fans have nooo idea how lucky they are to have him. he is genuinely such a steal, and not enough people respect that. he's gonna be this season's alex debrincat (ie "every team passed on him because of his size and now regret it")

he had a 35 game point streak this season (tied this season only with connor bedard's 35 point streak)(connor bedard who has stated multiple times he looks up to stanks which is funny bc. ya know. stanks is very small.) and his hands and shot and skating are SICK. just. look at some of his highlights here, here, and here.

he's a beast. they call him the pitbull for a reason okay.

not only is he 5'8" (officially) so automatically beloved to me, he's such a great type of player to have on your team. he's relentless and such a hard worker. in my (correct) opinion the hardest working player on the blazers, and also one of the hardest workers in the entire whl.

(click here if you don't believe me)

when your captain is your hardest worker? when he never gives up and is always there to be the support system your team needs? KEY to success.

he's an absolute force to be reckoned with and is always 100% dialed in, and his forecheck? his "never give up" attitude? oh captain my CAPTAIN.

on and off the ice, he's dialed in, he's intelligent, he's humble, he's my best friend. oh also this article made me go!!! ahhh!!!!

when asked, multiple whl players have said he's the hardest player to play against in the entire western so. i do nothing if not back up my words so there's also that. fun fact, he won CHL player of the year last year!

he also was a top-3 player on the last 2 winning canadian wjc teams so there's also that and, in fact, assisted on kent johnson's GWG in 2022. just for idk fun.

also he's !! aaahhhh

look at that smile!!!

:D ahhhhh!!!!!!!!

#logan stankoven #dallas stars #i'll miss u so much when u make it to the show captain #kamloops blazers #team canada #my angel #my heart #the love of my life

[queerstudiesnatural]

a friend and coworker asked me how i spent my free time and i had to tell him i spend every second of it thinking and writing and reading about the cw's supernatural on tumblr dot com, but in a socially acceptable way so i was like. well there's this one tv show that i find fascinating. and you know i have a lit degree so i can't help but write essays about themes and characters i find compelling every time i consume a new piece of media. and right now this particular series has my undivided attention, the biblical themes alone are so interesting from a personal and interpersonal standpoint, and the family relationships give me so much to think about. the many definitions of family and what it entails, how it can free or bind you, are very thought-provoking. the show also touches on issues surrounding identity and transformation, which as a queer scholar is particularly appealing to me. and so i have a blog where i write about all of that and exchange commentaries and interpretations with other people. we also write and read stories exploring the characters and themes further, which is a great writing exercise. i do love literature :) meanwhile i'm like i hope i don't let it slip out that the last fic i read was tentacle porn

#rain.stuff #constantly coming up with new and creative ways to not sound like a freak when i have to talk about how obsessed i am with a cw show

[morethanonepage]

i’m angery

i know i’m mostly a star wars killjoy on tumblr dot com lately but allow me to SCREAM about my latest nemesis, a book called “American Dirt”:

Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy―two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia―trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?

Written by one Jeanine Cummins, who has Puerto Rican ancestry but grew up in the MD suburbs (as I did, tbf) and in 2015 considered herself white (”I am white...in every practical way, my family is mostly white.”  [cw for sexual assault and murder at the link]), everything I read about this book has begun to drive me to madness.

Recommended by the Mary Sue book club (the source of the above summary), it has since been retracted bc a) its sucks and b) THEY DIDN’T READ IT BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THE BOOK CLUB LIST (”I try to read most, if not all, of the books I recommend for the Book Club because I truly do love reading, and I want to make sure that if I suggest someone grab something, it’s something I can say I liked. When I was looking up two books to fill out the list, one of them was American Dirt. I saw that it had received a lot of positive press from Stephen King, Rumaan Alam, Don Winslow, Sandra Cisneros, and other literary news outlets including Oprah’s Book Club. It seemed like the type of literary fiction that’s always good for a book club read. I was mistaken.“)

Myriam Gurba, at Tropics of Meta, describes being asked to review it for a feminist magazine, and then being told her review was too negative to publish. It included gems such as:

Cummins bombards with clichés from the get-go. Chapter One starts with assassins opening fire on a quinceañera, a fifteenth birthday party, a scene one can easily imagine President Donald Trump breathlessly conjuring at a Midwestern rally, and while Cummins’ executioners are certainly animated, their humanity remains shallow. By categorizing these characters as “the modern bogeymen of urban Mexico,” she flattens them. By invoking monsters with English names and European lineages, Cummins reveals the color of her intended audience: white. Mexicans don’t fear the bogeyman. We fear his very distant cousin, el cucuy.

[...]

With their family annihilated by narcotraffickers, mother and son embark on a refugees’ journey. They head north, or, as Cummins’ often writes, to “el norte,” and italicized Spanish words like carajo, mijo, and amigo litter the prose, yielding the same effect as store-bought taco seasoning.

[...] Lydia’s husband, a journalist, describes her as one of the “smartest” women he’s ever known. Nonetheless, she behaves in gallingly naïve and stupid ways. Despite being an intellectually engaged woman, and the wife of a reporter whose beat is narcotrafficking, Lydia experiences shock after shock when confronted with the realities of México, realities that would not shock a Mexican.

It shocks Lydia to learn that the mysterious and wealthy patron who frequents her bookstore flanked by “[thuggish]” bodyguards is the capo of the local drug cartel! It shocks Lydia to learn that some central Americans migrate to the United States by foot! It shocks Lydia to learn that men rape female migrants en route to the United States! It shocks Lydia to learn that Mexico City has an ice-skating rink! (This “surprise” gave me a good chuckle: I learned to ice skate in México.) That Lydia is so shocked by her own country’s day-to-day realities, realities that I’m intimate with as a Chicana living en el norte, gives the impression that Lydia might not be…a credible Mexican. In fact, she perceives her own country through the eyes of a pearl-clutching American tourist.

Parul Sehgal, at the NYT, digs into the fact that while the motives of this book may be unimpeachable (tho: are they??), the writing itself is...perhaps less so:

I found myself flinching as I read, not from the perils the characters face, but from the mauling the English language receives. Lydia’s expression “is one Luca has never seen before, and he fears it might be permanent. It’s as if seven fishermen have cast their hooks into her from different directions and they’re all pulling at once. One from the eyebrow, one from the lip, another at the nose, one from the cheek.” Yes, of course. That expression.

Sehgal also highlights my favorite line I’ve heard about in this book: “when Lydia finds she is unable to pray, ‘she believes it’s a divine kindness. Like a government furlough, God has deferred her nonessential agencies.’” The Raised in the DMV Suburbs just JUMPED OUT, didn’t it, Jeanine? But like legit, why on earth would a Mexican bookstore lady’s frame of reference ever be A GOVERNMENT FURLOUGH and NONESSENTIAL AGENCIES. followers, i just about died. 

David J. Schmidt, at The Blue Nib, calls out other inaccuracies and stereotypes:

It is worth dwelling on the character of Javier for a moment. A “drinking game” could be created based on all the Latin American stereotypes he personifies. Javier is dapper, yet dangerous. He is charming, yet mysterious. He wears a white guayabera, a shirt the author describes as “more suitable for Sunday Mass than a regular workday.” (Untrue—this is a casual garment, more suitable for a love affair in a Fabio-bedecked romance novel.)

This quintessential “Latin lover” shows up at Lydia’s bookstore and speaks to her in a tone significantly different from the other characters of American Dirt. I  must emphasise, Javier’s dialogue does not reflect the normal speech patterns of Mexico, but perfectly reflects U.S. stereotypes. The only way to properly read Javier’s lines is through the most gross of caricatures.

One should imagine the husky voice of Antonio Banderas, speaking at his most sensual and Spanishy. Any character he has played in English will do, although it is clear that Javier was ideally written for the voice of Puss in Boots. When Lydia asks if Javier reads English, the dapper narco responds:

“I try, yes […] My English isn’t fluent, but it’s close. And this story is so delicate.”

[...]

The cultural inaccuracies of American Dirt run deep, right down to the language. Throughout her book, Cummins shows confusion regarding the grammatical genders in Spanish. Most notably, she baptises the drug kingpin Javier with the nickname La Lechuza. It is difficult to imagine a macho, womanizing capo using a feminine-gendered noun as his moniker. Would a hardened mafia boss call himself “The Princess of Compton” or “The Belle of Belfast”?

Cummins got a seven figure advance for this. A SEVEN FIGURE ADVANCE. She “wished someone slightly browner than me would write it,” but she did it,  and her team is throwing around the fact that her husband’s previously undocumented status as some sort of justification without mentioning that he’s white & Irish. 

Also, there’s this news:

Imperative Entertainment, the production banner behind the Clint Eastwood hit The Mule, has acquired the rights to American Dirt, the Mexican migrant drama novel by Jeanine Cummins.

Charles Leavitt, the scribe who penned the Leonardo DiCaprio drama Blood Diamond, has been tapped to write the adaptation, which will be produced by Imperative’s Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas.

Charles Leavitt is a white guy who, most recently, wrote the Warcraft movie. So, that’s going to end well. 

I’ll leave you with this other gem from Gurba (from her essay about it, “Pendeja, You Ain’t Steinbeck “):

Susan Sontag wrote that “[a] sensibility (as distinct from an idea) is one of the hardest things to talk about” and with this challenge in mind, I assert that American Dirt fails to convey any Mexican sensibility. It aspires to be Día de los Muertos but it, instead, embodies Halloween. The proof rests in the novel’s painful humorlessness. Mexicans have over a hundred nicknames for death, most of them are playful because death is our favorite playmate, and Octavio Paz explained our unique relationship with la muerte when he wrote, “The Mexican…is familiar with death. [He] jokes about it, caresses it, sleeps with it, celebrates it. It is one of his favorite toys and his most steadfast love.” Cummins’ failure to approach death with appropriate curiosity, and humility, is what makes American Dirt a perfect read for your local self-righteous gringa book club.

so idk, The Mary Sue, maybe it should stay on your Book Club list after all. (Oh wait: as of this writing, it still is.) 

#american dirt #sorry for the long post but as i said #i'm angery #long post #(also TBF: i think Schmidt dings the book for having a character named luca) #(my cousin named her son that) #(and it's not like mexicans can NEVER have foreign names [i mean -- SCHMIDT -- etc] #but it's a thing that maybe requires some explanation even if it is 'well she liked the italian version better' #(oh also you can be white and latinx) #(i think more accurately jeanine is white passing but) #(that's her deal to id with) #anyway this will be made into a movie staring whatshername from Knives Out and MAYBE diego luna as the dead hubby #but realistically oscar isaac bc they love killing him off

[unelectedofficial]

     it’s  time  that  i  finally  get  to  this  post  ,  after  two  days  of  a  pesky  reminder  on  my  phone  yelling  at  me  to  write  it  .  in  short  ,  i absolutely  refuse  to  let  @russicnrat  win  our  little  positivity  war  so  ,  here  we  go  .  i  have  written  an  extensive  essay  to  express  my  love  .      we  don’t  write  together  nearly  enough  ,  but  even  though  lyra  will  say  it’s  because  she’s  slow  it’s  actually  mostly  because  i’m  super  slow  and  leave  things  in  my  drafts  for  months  on  end  .  which  ,  i  truly  apologize  for  because  i  know  it  takes  me  forever  .  however  ,  i  am  a  true  fan  of  her  blog  and  literally  just  think  everything  about  it  is  so  nice  ?  but  i  won’t  stop  there  ,  no  --  you  all  are  going  to  be  getting  specifics  .        of  course  ,  aesthetics  aren’t  everything  and  i  would  never  be  impartial  to  a  blog  because  of  their  appearance  .  that  being  said  ,  her  blog  is  absolutely  breathtakingly  gorgeous  .  the  aesthetic  of  the  whole  thing  just  matches  dmitry  so  well  and  i  get  ‘lil  heart  eyes  every  time  a  new  aesthetic  post  is  made  because  !!!  it  just  makes  me  fall  in  love  with  anastasia  all  over  again  .      not  to  mention  ,  when  i  saw  the  show  i  couldn’t  help  but  actually  think  of  her  dmitry  while  watching  because  i  was  like  wow  it’s  so  accurate  .  like  .  .  .  i  stan  this  blog  so  much  that  i  genuinely  associate  the  show  and  things  to  do  with  the  show  with  this  blog  .  also  ,  i’ve  posted  about  it  before  and  i  know  she  saw  it  but  whenever  i  hear  my  petersburg  i  think  of  lyra’s  blog  ( you  know  .  .  .  a  russian  rat  is  clever  ,  clever  or  he  ends  up  deeead  )  .        all  of  this  to  say  that  her  portrayal  and  interpretation  of  dmitry  ?  * chef’s  kiss *  mwah  !  he  is  such  an  interesting  and  ,  in  my  opinion  ,  difficult  character  to  grasp  because  of  his  like  whole  personality  .  and  yet  ,  it  is  done  seemingly  effortless  on  this  fantastic  blog  .  i  will  admit  ,  i  actually  do  read  threads  on  this  blog  and  think  that  the  writing  is  absolutely  phenomenal  .  i  love  how  dedicated  lyra  is  to  all  of  her  headcanons  (  like  the  one  with  dmitry  and  pets  ,  which  i  love  )  and  honestly  just  seeing  the  writing  makes  me  want  to  write  ?      she  called  me  the  quintessential  musical  rp  blog  but  ???  that  is  false  .  i  think  that  like  .  .  .  maybe  .  .  .  tumblr  dot  com  user  russicnrat  is  ?  idk  ,  just  an  idea  that  i  have  loads  of  evidence  for  .      last  but  not  least  ,  the  fact  that  we  had  a  compliment  war  just  is  so  like  .  .  .  unbelievable  to  me  .  i  love  love  love  sending  people  asks  and  anons  telling  them  how  much  i  appreciate  and  love  them  ,  but  it  was  so  unexpected  to  receive  one  ?  so  i’d  just  like  to  again  thank  her  (  thank  you  !!  )  for  sending  the  initial  ask  because  it  truly  brightened  my  night  and  made  me  make  that  emoji  face  ,  like  you  know  the  crying  one  that  i  overuse  lmao  .  seriously  ,  it  was  an  incredibly  kind  thing  to  do  and  people  being  good  people  just  makes  me  go  uwu  all  over  you  know  ?  but  anyway  ,  i’m  sorry  for  spamming  you  guys  with  an  essay  but  i’m  not  actually  sorry  because  i’ve  officially  won  our  war  .   

#✧･ﾟ → OOC / ❛ 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 ❜ #don't even TRY and beat me

[ice-daddy-vitya]

GET TO KNOW YOUR RP PARTNER! ( repost, please don’t reblog )

BASICS

▐ NAME ALIAS: Sushi. I prefer not to use my IRL name.  ▐ PRONOUNS: They/He ▐ SEXUALITY: Pansexual/ Demisexual/ Polyamorous ▐ TAKEN OR SINGLE: I have three wonderful partners ▐ FIVE FACTS:

I majored in opera and classical music in college

I originally majored in aeronautical engineering when I was 18 and planned to be an AirForce pilot with the eventual career in NASA. Had a scholarship and everything... but then I got sick. (I was even in flight school and learned to fly a plane before driving a car!) 

I’m transgender/ non-binary

In addition to music, I also enjoy writing, video games, and astronomy (yes, it’s a hobby now since I can’t actively work in the field atm) 

I’m disabled and a spoonie, chronic pain and chronic illness don’t stop me from doing what I do, though! 

Bonus Fact: I also cosplay and work for anime cons locally

EXPERIENCE

▐ HOW LONG ( YEARS/MONTHS ): I’ve been roleplaying since I was 12 years old, so I’d say going on 18 years total now?  ▐ PLATFORMS USED: I’ve been roleplaying since the days of Y! Messenger, AIM, and back when Skype was still MSN Messenger. I also used to admin a few rp forums back in the day, and was highly active in the original Sailormoon dot com chatrooms.  ▐ BEST EXPERIENCE: My longest lasting and most used OC is the first one I ever created. I owe a lot of character building to a very old rp partner and friend from the old days of rp. Though my current best experiences go to the long term (almost a year long +)  rps i’ve had going with two of my current partners. It’s amazing when you meet someone on your same writing level and find you’re like-minded when it comes to your ideas and writing style. 

MUSE PREFERENCES

▐ MALE OR FEMALE: Neither. If I can play someone andro or NB I prefer it, though I suppose I’m more drawn to masc characters since coming out. I’ve only been rping males or male aligned characters for two years, though. Prior to that I only explicitly rped femmes. 

▐ FAVORITE FACE: Any pretty bishounen style masc characters with long white flowy hair and almond shaped eyes. Calling myself out right now. 

▐ FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT: How about... long term rps that include all of these elements plus a plot driven storyline with heartfelt meaning behind every reply? Because these genres individually are extremely boring to me without something to hold it up as a backbone. The only thing I might enjoy on occasion is PWP. That’s it. 

▐ PLOTS OR MEMES: Plot. I personally can’t stand starting serious RPs based on those “ask meme” posts. They’re cute for Tumblr IC interactions, but not prose writing. And I prefer writing my rps anywhere but Tumblr. 

▐ LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: Somewhere in the middle. Intros I enjoy being lengthy because I love world and character building and establishing a setting before jumping into anything else. However, I also don’t like replies to be too short. If you don’t give me something to work with (I don’t need an essay...) but if you can’t tell me what your character is doing/thinking/feeling in response to my character... then the scene isn’t going to go anywhere and I’m going to most likely lose interest in it. Even in dialogue, I feel like I should know what your character is doing or the emotion behind how they’re saying something - since it’s entirely possible for the same line to be spoken in a multitude of ways and have a different meaning every time. 

▐ BEST TIME TO WRITE: Whenever I’m well rested and have proper time to dedicate to a response. I teach, so my freest times are early morning, late evenings, or weekends. 

▐ ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSES: Depends on the muse, honestly. I have muses I can relate to almost completely, while some are the complete opposite of who I am IRL. I enjoy playing muses that are different than myself, since it allows me to explore different mindsets and cultures and ideas that I wouldn’t normally think of on my own. 

For example, Viktor is an alcoholic - I hate alcohol. However, we both suffer from depression and have similar methods of coping with it. In reality, though, I relate to both him and Yuuri equally when it comes to mental health. Unhealthy coping mechanisms for both anxiety AND depression while loathing in self doubt? That was the majority of my early 20s. There are major differences, though, like how I don’t have Viktor’s extroverted personality or flirtatious behaviors. Or how I differ from Yuuri because I don’t have the familial support he has to help him realize his self doubt isn’t true. 

A character I find I have a LOT in common with is a more recent one. Similar to Shiro, I’m disabled, queer, was a student pilot for the military, dealt with doubt from peers and loved ones, and have an unhealthy habit of putting myself last while trying to take on the weight of protecting everyone else first. There’s a lot more, but those are some basics. Then, of course, there are characters entirely unlike myself like Lotor or Keith. 

TAGGED BY: @vkusno-viktor  (it still wont let me properly tag you even on laptop)

TAGGING: No one. Whoever wishes to do this can do so. 

#munday #ooc #about the mun #sushi speaks #tagged

[okjimin]

🍯 mutual appreciation post!! 🍯

✨🌙⭐️💛💫 to all my lovely wonderful kind friendly amazing hilarious mutuals!!!! i’ve only been on tumblr for a short time but Listen i love u all soooo much thank u for brightening my day everyday!!!! 2017 was such a shit year for me but spending the last few months on tumblr dot com rly cheered me up and i hav u all to thank for that!!!!! to all of you that celebrate christmas, i hope u have the best christmas EVER and for all of you that don’t i hope your day is filled with warmth happiness and love!!! and i wish all of u a happy new year, i hope 2018 is an amazing year for u all, u all deserve it sooooooooo much!!!!✨🌙⭐️💛💫 

(i tried 2 do this in order of oldest to newest mutuals !!!!)

💌 @1jmins: dia where do i even begin?!?!?! i cant believe we’ve only known each other for like a few weeks honestly that’s INSANE bc it genuinely feels like ive known you forever!!! we get along soooo well and you’re so easy to talk to, we are basically the same person like???? still cant believe we were literally put on this earth to love each other??? im still struggling to get over the fact we were born a day apart, our natal charts are pretty much identical, wow amazing.......soul mate Goals......anyway did i mention how hilarious, sweet, kind and warm and just all round perfect u are?!?!?!? i live for our 1am wattpad reading sessions and when we dub bts performances with stormzy and craig david!!!!! still cant believe bts invented british grime like???? u make me laugh sooo much and honestly one of the highlights of my day is talking to u!!!! i love u soooosoosooooossosoos much bb and i hope we get even closer in 2018!!!! and u know that when bts finally come 2 the uk me and u are going to spend £300 on tickets and flash our tiddies for jimin.........pls dia i Love U!!!!!!!!!! have a wonderful xmas and new year!!!!!!! sending u so much love bby!!!!! my actual twin sister and soul mate!!!!!

💌 @ktheaven: nadine u are soooo sweet and lovely!! i could write a 2000 word essay on how kind you are! you’re one of the first people i ever spoke to on here and im so glad we got talking bc youre seriously such a lovely, warm hearted person!!! youre so thoughtful and caring!!!! also, youre sooo hardworking!! im sure all your hard work at uni will pay off and you will get the teaching job of your dreams!!! i love u lots and i rly hope you have an amazing 2018!!

💌 @kimtaethebae hannah!!! youre literally the first person i ever spoke to on here!!!! youre so cute and bubbly and funny, we havent spoken that much lately but i hope youre doing well and that you have an amazing christmas and new year bc you deserve it soo much!!! im sending u so many positive vibes bb!!!

💌 @43hy adreana bby!!!! you were one of my first mutuals on here!!!!! a true og!!!! your blog is sooo cute and your posts make me smile and always brighten up my day!! i hope 2018 treats you will and that you have an amazing christmas!!! 

💌  @rainpjm hannah you were my first mutual ever i think!?!?? i literally love ur blog so much u make me laugh so hard with ur censored posts bc im like binch SAME.....ur sooo cute not to mention amazingly beautiful!!!!!! i hav a crush on U!!!!! u totally deserve to have the most wonderful christmas and new year angel!!!! 

💌  @piedparkjimin dakota!!! another one of my first ever mutuals!!! listen i love u youre soooo sweet and kind and i really do wish all the best for you in 2018, you honestly deserve all the happiness and warmth in the world and pls remember im always here if you wanna talk!!! your txt posts always make me smile so much thanks for brightening up my dash bb!!

💌  @inkcanaries henlo gi bb!!!!!! yet another og mutual!!!! Listen ur so fuckin funny i stg ur txt posts are hilarious catch me scrolling through your blog at 2am pissing myself at ur hilarious self.....although im sick 2 death of seeing that ugly ass pic let me not lie lmao........ur so sweet bb and im still not over ur gorgeous curly hair!!!!! have a super christmas and new year bb!!!!

💌  @joohoens hannah ufewqpfioqe youve changed ur url so much lately i was soo confused!! well only true 90s kids will remember yoongjis.....you were one of the first ever ppl i spoke to on here and youre sooooooo cute, youre always leaving cute happy messages in my askbox and pls know i appreciate it so much!!! youre such a ball of sunshine and i hope youre doing well bc we havent spoken in a while! ly bb!!!

💌  @jinsasleep hello jess!!!! u were one of the first ppl i EVER followed here @ tumblr dot com lol i had a different url when i first made this blog tho but i remember i sent u an ask saying i was a new blog and if u could rec some blogs and u sent me soooo many, many of which are now some of my fav mutuals!!! i totally admire u from afar i think youre an amazing person and that youre so lovely and sweet!! all the best for 2018 bb!!! ALSO!!!!! susan is so cute Bye

💌  @cyphriv clodagh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LISTEN ur an ACTUAL ray of sunshine u make me smile SOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!! the official irish mutual™ i literally find u so hilarious and ur so nice 2 me and wow also so beautiful i truly dont deserve u.....i lov my fellow little mix STAN (cant believe i still havent seen them live lol we will hav 2 go together!!!!!!!!!) thanks for making my day better whenever u come online!!!! luv u!!!!!

💌 @je0n hi anna!!!! we havent rlly spoke before but youre one of the first blogs i followed and i just wanted to include you in this bc not only is ur blog and content amazing, i think youre a truly wonderful person with a HUge heart!! i always see you giving advice to anons and your replies are always so long and detailed and :((( you just seem so sweet, kind and caring and i honestly hope you have an amazing holiday season and wonderful 2018!!! U deserve it!!

💌 @megjinglebells meg!!!!! well firstly let me just say youre an actual supermodel, youre so gorgeous its insane!!!!!!! on top of that you are also such a warm, kind and lovely person who truly deserves the world!!!! your blog is so cute i love it soo much and your love for jin is so adorable!!!!! all the best for 2018 bb!!!! u deserve to have an amazing year!

💌 @gothsyub hi bb!!!!! your blog is soooo cute!!!! we havent rlly spoken before but i get such lovely, friendly vibes from you and of course i love ur yoongi content seeing as tho i had swerved into his lane as of late......all the best for 2018 bb!!!!

💌 @honeyyjeon hello angel!!!!!!!! firstly let me say you are SOOOOO lovely, your blog is full of such cute content and ahhhhhh i love it so so much!! your posts really genuinely lighten up my day and u seem like such a friendly and approachable person!!!! have an amazing 2018 honey!!!

💌 @jeonsberry asya!!!! not only are u stunningly beautiful but youre also super cute and kind and wonderful!!!!!! your love for jungkook is so sweet and Wow i can relate bc that boy.....he is rly something........anyway back to u......ur so so so lovely and definitely deserve to have a brilliant 2018!!!! 

💌 @cloudjeon hello debbs!!!!!!! Listen ur so funny!!!! ur blog is truly hilarious and i know that when youre online my day is going 2 get better 1000% guaranteed!!! youre such a cute sweet angel and we aint talked that much lately but pls know that i lov u and i rly rly hope you have an amazing 2018 but i also hope that u sort ur sleeping schedule out!!!!! binch1!!!!!!!! u always awake how u do that!!!! ly my nocturnal bb!!!!!

💌 @cryjeon sara!!!!! my time zone twin!!!!! youre such a little angel i stg, you make me smile sooo much!!!! you’re honestly just such a nice, kind person and i hav so much love in my heart just for u!!!!! if anyone deserves to have a wonderful 2018 its u bby!!!!! 

💌 @dn-a hiya lee!!!! ur super cool and u literally make me laugh at least once a day how u do that.......i live for ur tags and txt posts theyre so hilarious!!! we dont rlly talk much but you come across as soooo lovely and kind!! all the best for 2018!!!

💌 @christmasjins hey elana!!! the jin mutual™ i love ur blog so much its nice to hav a healthy daily dose of mistre jin let me not lie!!! anyway ur such a wonderful person, youre so friendly and lovely and i just wanna give u a big hug!!!! 

💌  @jiminsgothbf VIC listen the rumours are tru im in lov with u........ur soooooo funny honestly wish u would get drunk and mssg me more often bc ur actually hilarious!!! i hoenstly love ur blog so much and im so glad i followed u!!!! cant wait for Jenna and Vic Take Leeds its gna be fkin wild !!!!! ly bb and all the best for 2018 u deserve to hav an amazing year!!!!

💌  @merryblondekth shan giefowugrieof Listen ur funny af but also wish youd let me live sometimes.......Anyway ill let u off bc youre an intellectual as you know that blonde tae is the best tae.....hes comin back in 2018 i can feel it in my bones and also my puthy.....ur always starting discourse which i love however only tru 90s kids will remember dickcourse.....hav an amazing 2018 bb!!!!!!

💌  @taetaez hi gio we dont rlly speak much but u seem rlly nice and i love ur blog so much!!!!! i love all ur posts ahh!!!! also i see u swervin into yoongi’s lane just wanna let u know i fully support that!!!! all the best for the new year bb!!!

💌  @4agstd hi angel!!!! you often tag me in yoongi stuff and let me just say real quick i truly appreciate that so much as he is the actual love of my life.....anyway ur blog is super duper cute and u seem like a rly lovely person who deserves a whole lotta love!!!!!

💌 @mistlemochi hannah im screaming i love ur blog SO MUCH ur so fuckin hilarious ur txt posts and tags literally hav me DYIN.....ur love for jimin is sooo pure and cute!!!! also ur so fuckigngng pretty like how can a person b that gorgeous Binch bye.......all the best for 2018!!!! ly!!!

💌  @beaniebangtan hi anita!!!! your blog is so nice and i think youre a lovely person!!! your art is also honestly so amazing?!?! like binch how u draw like that!?!??! i rly truly hope u have an amazing brilliant wonderful 2018!!! u deserve it1!!!

💌  @bbyboyjiminies megan!! we dont rlly talk much but i get such positive friendly vibes from you and your blog honestly brightens my day so so much!!! i wish you all the best for 2018, you totally deserve to have an amazing year bc of what a lovely person you are!!! 

💌  @strongjeon cami!!!!! youre such a wonderful person and i rly truly mean it when i say i love ur blog!!! i think youre such a sweet person and also ur so so beautifull Binch how u do that ?????? all the best for 2018!!! sending u lots of positive vibes for the new year! 

💌  @gingerbreadchan cherry1!!!!!! i rly love your blog SO much even if you talk about piss kink and feet 98% of the time !!!!!!!! pls youre so cute and lovely and just an all round wonderful person!!! you truly are a ball of sunshine i hope u know that!!!!! ur so loved bb!!!! i rly rly rly RLY hope u hav an amazing 2018!!! and pls know im always here for u angel no matter what !!

💌  @blueyoongles well miss cg one thing for sure is that i LOV U!!!! ur so so so funny and literally support me so much lmao??? if i reblog an ask meme i know ur gunna be there validate my ass and ur always replying to my posts with funny comments and wow i just lov u i hope we speak more in 2018!!!! ur so kind and sweet and thoughtful and im still waiting for ice cream date pt. 2!!!! usually cancers and leos wouldnt mix but we rlly out here proving the stars wrong huh?!!??!

💌  @honeydewjimin dax!!!!! Listen im lov u.....sooooo much......ur such a cutie and ur just so lovely and cute!!!!! even if u do send me weird shit sometimes origuhwefijwqego also an astrology Genius???? cnt believe you invented astrology wo w amazing......i hope ur 2018 is as wonderful as u are and i hope we speak more in the new year bb!!!! ly!!!!!!

💌  @ofsugas ahhh ur so so so cute and i LOVE ur blog!!!! axis ur so sweet i love how much yoongi content u provide on my dash!!!!!!! but also a jimin enthusiast? wow you and i are truly kin.....i hope u have a wonderful 2018 angel, u deffo deserve it! keep on bein the lil ray of sunshine that u are!!!

💌  @foryoubybts heather!!!!!! Listen ur blog is so positive i love it soooooo much!!! i must see you post at least once a day about how much you love and adore bts and im just like Binch......SAME!!!!!!!! ur so so cute and lovely and seem like such a kind warm hearted wow pls be my bff!!!! ALSO ur gorgeous and id do anythin for ur lovely red hair :((( all the best bb!!!!

💌  @poutyjimin hi luisa!!!!!! Ur sooooo fucking funny i swear i die at ur txt posts ur a true comic genius!!!! thanks for making my dash a better place with ur funny posts!!!! i hope your 2018 is as wonderful as you are!!

💌  @snowglhobi re listen ur an actual ray of ACTUAL sunshine!!!!! ur blog is amazing and so cute and wow i just love it so much :((((( noah fence but im in luv with u!!!!! also boyinlub is such a god tier url doeifqwod miss her so much cant wait 2 see her again in 2018!!!! wishing u all the best angel!!!!

💌  @jeonbye salla we dont talk much but ur sooo funny!!!! literally u make me laugh so much and ur blog is so cute and i get so many positive vibes from u!!!!! So guess what!!!!! im sending all those positive vibes right back at u!!!! have a great 2018 bb i hope the year treats u well bc u deserve it!!!

💌  @mewwychwistmas nestle, wow, i lov u!!!!!! ur my favourite brand of chocolate!!!! also ur love for shrek is so pure and wholesome, it’s so beautiful to see how much you adore him!!! efuqiwoef lol for real tho ur so funny and hilarious and the sun is literally jealous of u bc she could never be as bright and wonderful as u are!!!!!!!!! ALL THE BEST FOR 2k18 BB!!!!!!!!! (im a master bby....wish ur toes)

💌  @jikooksgf hey zara!!!!!! listen!!!! ima only say this once!!!!! i love u and ur blog a lot!! i literally live for u aesthetic posts like binch so fuckin pretty!!!!! ur so sweet and seem sooooo lovely i hope youre doing well bb!!! also rly hope that 2018 treats u well and that u have a brilliant year ahead of u bc u deserve it!!!

💌  @kkultae hello!!!! firstly lemme just say ur super talented!!! ur art is amazing suwiojdw like its literally so good binch how u draw like that i cant even hold a pen.....ALSO ur so pretty wow pls be my gf :( i rmr u called me ur tumblr crush once and WOW my heart burst when u said that let me not lie.....anyway hope ur 2018 is as wonderful and amazing as u are!!!!! LY!!!!

💌  @sleepiemoon hi bb!!! we dont talk all that much but i genuinely get such lovely, positive vibes from you!! you seem like a wonderful person, and just wanna say i love ur blog and ur posts, they make me smile sooo much!!! all the best for 2018 angel <3 

💌  @winngs elena !!!! every time i see ur name i think of the vampire diaries lmao guwefiqwdo ANYWAY this binch (me) loves u and ur blog a LOT and she also thinks u deserve all the warmth love and happiness the world has to offer in 2018 bc guess what!!!!!! ur an actual lil ray of sunshine and u deserve it!!!! all the best!!!! 

💌  @firemv sarah wow OKKK name a more positive, lovely, amazin, caring, funny tumblr user than firemv i’ll wait.............ur honestly such a babe and i love u a lot!!!!!!! also ur a taurus so bonus points for that!!!! seriously tho i adore u, u literally invented languages like???? multilingual queen over here??? u honestly brighten my dash and u truly deserve to have a wonderful 2018!!!! all the best bb!!!

💌  @sailorjoon fy!!!!!! youre such a warm, lovable, friendly, amazing person but rly am i surprised?? i mean ur a cancer and all cancers are amazing lol!!!!!! honestly tho i think youre such an amazing person, your blog is soo wonderful and cute and wow me??? so in lov with u???? its more likely than u think!!!! jenfy 2k18!!!! ly bb!!!!

💌  @clownjimin stefi we dont talk tbh but fhbwdjq LISTEN ur so fuckin funny and ur blog is not only hilarious but also super cute !!!!!! have a wonderful 2018 im sending u lots of positive vibes bb!!!!!

💌  @starprincejimin  anna! we dont talk that much but you seem like such a lovely, kind, cute person and wow i just admire u so much from afar.....my new years resolution is to get to know u better bc ur literally just so amazing!!!!! all the best for 2018 angel!!!!

💌  @jeonpalette hi bb!!! ur blog is definitely one of the cutest blogs i follow!!!!!! we dont talk all that much but u seem so genuine and lovely and i rly wish u all the best for the upcoming year, u deserve to have an amazin 2018!!!!

💌  @clairelions chiara!!! you are honestly one of the most lovely, genuine, kind, talented and friendly people i have met on here!!! im so glad we got talking bc you are soooo cute!!! i love all ur edits too, they’re so incredibly beautiful just like you!!! all the best for 2018 bb, you honestly deserve to have such an amazing year!!

💌  @suransgf hey nura!!!! ur suuuuuuper cute and sweet!!! also ur mobile themes are also aesthetic af im always like Yes ma lov it when u bless my mobile app with that minimalistic look!!!!! ur rlly lovely and i hope ur 2018 is as wonderful as u are!!!!!

💌 @jeonggok hiiii bb!!!!! Listen ur so cute and i rly love ur blog a lot!!!! one of my new years resolutions is 2 get to know u better because u seem like a lovely person and ye lets be best friends!!!! all the best for the new year angel!!!!

💌  @byungjoo / @acustd laura listen i would be NOTHING without u......ur always out here responding to my incessant ask memes and let me just say i appreciate u binch!!!!!! ur sooo lovely, cute, funny not 2 mention drop dead gorgeous!!!! i rly hope ur 2018 is amazing bc u honestly deserve it so much!!! ly!!!!

💌  @daisyguk kiara!!! firstly ur name is so pretty!!! secondly!!!! we dont talk a lot but id love 2 get to know u better bc u seem rlly rlly sweet!!!! also so many anons have a crush on you like???? ur so loved wow????? hope ur 2018 is amazing bb u rly deserve it!!! sending u lots of love and warmth and positive vibes!!!

💌  @jiminnight hi jo!!!! (is it ok to call u thathwdjieufqw) listen up!!!!! U !!!!! ARE !!!! SO !!!!!! CUTE !!!!! AND !!!!! I !!!!! LOVE !!!! U !!!!! A LOT!!!!! SO !!!! JOT THAT DOWN!!!!! u seem like such a wonderful person and i see u spreading a lot of love and i just wana say i think ur amazing!!!!!!!!! all the best for 2018!!!!

💌  @g0thbug hi hazy!!!!! we aint ever spoke before but listen!!!!!!!!!!! ur blog and u are super cute and wow i love u a lot!!!! hope ur 2018 is brilliant!!!!!

💌  @dimples anna!!!! ur so lovely, i love ur blog a LOT!!!! ur so kind and sweet to everyone and you just seem like someone who spreads a lot of positivity and i lov that about u!!!!! we dont speak all that much but i’d love to get to know u better and thems the facts!!!! hope ur 2018 is as sweet as u are <3 

💌  @gfmp3 hii!!!!!!!!!! we aint ever rly spoken before but wow i lov u so much already!!!!! ur blog is so aesthetic and cute and yeh!!!!! i love it a hell of a lot!!!! ur a little ball of sunshine, thanks for brightening up my dash everyday!! all the best for the new year!!

💌  @vanillalattaes hi angel!!!! u seem like such a positive, loving person and i just wana say i lov u and ur blog A LOT!!!!!!! i hope get to know ech other more in the new year if ur up for that!!!! thanks for being a cute lil flower and making my dash a better place!!!! ly!!!

💌  @seokchiminie henlo!!!!! we only recently became mutuals but lemme just say ur such a lovely person with such a kind, warm vibe!!!! listen binch i lov u!!! and i hope ur 2018 is as wonderful as u are i rly mean that!!!! 

💌  @raplinesgf hi gio!!!! we only recently became mutuals but im SOOO glad we did bc i love u and ur blog soooooo much!!!! i truly hope your 2018 is full of love, warmth and happiness bc that’s what u deserve !!!!! also!!!!! UR RED HAIR IS SO GORGEOUS!!!! 

💌  @deletaed hi kris!!!! let me Not lie i’ve been admiring u from afar for a while now!! i think youre a really great person and pls know that i love u and ur blog a whole lot!!! im sending u lots of happy positive vibes for 2018, u deserve to have an amazin year!!

🎀🌹💓💗💖✨💕a few honourable mentions (i love u guys a lot!!!!! i could honesly write a cute lil paragrpah about u all but if im being honest ive ran out of steam at this point lmao !!!!! ur blogs are amazing and honestly brighten up my day!!!! i’d love to get to know u all better in 2018!!!! pls hmu any time !!!!!!! lov u!!!!!)🎀🌹💓💗💖✨💕 

@etudehaus @spicekook @1honeyoongi @jjkboo @ohjiminn @1taesgf @wvaterlily @hqjeons @repackages @taelilies @lovlesbians @9yoong @peachiichiim @acciosugas @parkjimin2 @dwjjk @milklattaes @ilyjimn @yyouth @jurassicjimin @lipsmp3 @taev-gucci @gayminyoongi @taetle @pjmin @lovelytaeh @6apricorn @01nochu @rosyhoseok @mitaesoro @christmasyoong @princessyoongi

#wow this took me SO long #i cant believe ive only been on tumblr for like 2 months bc honestly/?? i love u all so much feels like ive been on here forever #i honestly ran out of steam bc i typed so much i fee l so bad bc i wanted to write a nice lil message for everyone!!!!! #wow i hope i didnt 4get anyone #if i did pls feel freee to call my ass OUT #anyway #love u all #have an amazin christmas eve and christmas !!!!!

[anaetudes]

with school starting soon (and if yours already started i wish you a good week!) i decided to make a masterpost of apps to help making the school year easier and more productive. So I picked some of my personal favorites and let’s check them out!

Phone apps:

Forest (iOS/Android/chrome extension) - 1,99$/free  forest used to be my fav focusing app while i used android, it’s pretty simple and super cute! Basically you set up a timer to let a forest grow and you turn your phone down. If you turn it up or close the app to check your tumblr dot com or something else, your forest dies and the counter stops!

Tide (iOS/Android) - free  tide is like a timer made for you to get focused. You set up the timer with the time you want to get focused and it will also provide background sounds like rain, the sounds of a forest, a coffee shop... while the timer’s on to help you focus even more (if you’re into that ofc)! If you prefer silence, the app also lets you turn the background sounds off. When your time’s up, it can send you a notification so you can have your well deserved break time!

Sleep Cycle alarm clock (iOS/Android) - free  not a morning person and you usually wake up grumpy (like me)?? this app is for ya!! sleep cycle alarm clock tracks your sleep and based on that it awakes you at the best time according to the app (thanks sleep cycles). But are you afraid to run late to class because the app didn’t wake you on time? Don’t worry, you can still set your usual alarm clock to wake you up!

Headspace (iOS/Android) - free  bad days, we all have them. but are you one of those people that don’t know what to do on a bad day?? Why don’t you try headspace? This meditation app it’s simple, intuitive and truly relaxing! You have dozens of “packs” so you can meditate for different things! Feeling stressed? Try the stress pack! Felling anxious? Try the anxiety pack! You already got the hint! Before trying all this packs you’ll do the basics where you are taught how to meditate and you also have small exercises to do if you don’t want to do a full session! Personally, this app really helped me passing some bad days and moments and it’s what somehow taught me how to be calm and relaxed on those rough days!

H2Opal (iOS/beta release on android) - free  this is already a current reminder in the studyblr community: stay hydrated, full stop. With H2Opal you can make that super easily! This app will give you reminders during the day to stay hydrated and how much you need to drink to reach your daily goal. When you drink you can either insert the amount of water you drank manually or you can buy their tracker that does that boring job for you and makes tracking water even more easier

My Study Life (iOS/Android/chrome extension) - free   i am a person who hates planning and this app saved my life. My Study Life tracks your schedule (holidays, your classes, the rooms...), exams and tasks and lets you know when they are close so you can have your life organized and don’t forget nothing! 

Curiosity (iOS/Android) - free  curiosity won’t help you study or keeping your life in order but will expand your genereal knowledge. Everyday curiosity provides you some articles (mostly science related) for you to read! You can mark them as favorite so you can read them later, you can access to the other days articles and it has podcasts! How cool huh?

Duolingo (iOS/Android) - free  you love languages but you have no time/money to learn a new one? use duolingo! This app lets you learn english, french, german, spanish, portuguese and italian (i guess you can have more or less languages to learn depending on your native language) and you work on your grammar, vocabulary, speech and writing. If you already learnt any of the languages and you want to relearn it, duolingo will make this 5 minute test to check how are you and what are your weakest points in that moment! That will be useful because when your start the real course you can have some of the classes done (mostly the basics) letting you learn what really matters! This app is super easy to use and it’s my go to learn new languages now!

Post-it Plus (iOS only) - free  the post it app! yes it’s what you’re wondering, a app with post its! This app lets you either create your own post its or take pictures to already existing ones and then you can arrange the same post its in boards like “chores”, “to do list”, “homework”... you create them, you choose! And to make it better you can also share your post its! This is super useful to note quick things like homework or dues when you have nothing at hand to note them!

Quizlet (iOS/Android) - free  we all know what quizlet is, right? This flashcards app saved my ass more than one time when i was feeling too lazy to make my own flashcards and i wanted to study differently for something! It’s easy to use and it’s super interactive! Besides letting you making your own flashcards, you can also search for already made ones, join classes, invite your friends and arrange your flashcards in binders so you can always know where they are!

Photomath (iOS/Android) - free  oh, is that that math homework you’re struggling for hours? And even done you still aren’t sure if it’s done that way? Why don’t you try photomath? This app basically scans maths problems and shows the answer and how to get there step by step! It might help you with homeworks but i still suggest you to ask your teacher how to solve it on the next class!

Computer apps:

Cold Turkey blocker (macOS/windows) - works with subscriptions but it has a free one   it already happened to all of us: we are supposed to be studying or working but instead we spend 1000000 hours watching cat videos on youtube and we get nothing done! Cold Turkey is here to help you with your problems! You set up which sites you want to block, for how long and at what days of the week! Distractions cut, productivity up and work done!

Cold Turkey writer (macOS/windows) - works with subscriptions but it has a free one  imagine the situation above but for one specific occasion: writing an essay. Cold turkey writer blocks all the distractions (like all, no exceptions on this one) until you write the number of words you set up for your essay or for the number of minutes you decide! As the website says “Cold Turkey writer runs full screen and turns your computer into a typewriter until you reach your specified goal”, so you better start writing if you want to check your favorite websites! 

You can check Cold Turkey website to understand more about the blocker and writer and how they work!

StayFocusd (chrome extension) - free   this one is very similar to cold turkey blocker but it’s a chrome extension.

#if any of the links is broken please let me know so i can fix them! #mine #apps #masterpost #long post #studyblr #study #studyspo #productivity #back to school #study-at-the-disco #look-study-matters #solving-equations #architectofthought #amlkstudy #heysareena #kathiestudies

[sayaratyriea]

Important questions about your story: 1. What is the unique hook (that the audience cant get anywhere else)? 2. What are the themes of the story? 3. What are the inspiration for the story? How clear are those inspirations in the final product? - an interested reader

omg, intense questions!

First question, right off the bat, that’s my big problem right now. I will not lie to you, there it is, that’s what I can’t do. I’ve rewritten the beginning of book 1 at least 8 to 10 times because I can’t seem to get it right. I guess the “gimmick,” so to speak, is that I’m writing a pretty standard story about Overpowered High Fantasy Royalty but I’m mostly interested in the consequences. I wouldn’t say it’s quite in deconstructive territory but it’s edging towards it! 

So the uniqueness factor comes from: a) the original universe worldbuilding appeal, and b) the exploration of the consequences and responsibilities inherent in a lot of typical fantasy tropes. The heroes are royalty, they’re authority figures, they’re Very Important People and the plot is created and fueled by the ways they fail to handle that power. It’s a plot-heavy story but the plot isn’t about the powers or the authority or the various wars, it’s about the characters first and foremost. I’ve seen a lot of YA writers explore things like this in urban fantasy or “lower” fantasy, but it’s often missing from the tolkein-esque high fantasy stories where I’d expect it to be a major plot point. Also, the story’s about fairies. Nobody ever writes about fairies?? And when they do, it’s always kind of the same dark edgy folklorey “we wanted vampires but the publisher said that wasn’t original enough” Fair Folk schtick. Artemis Fowl is the only other series I’ve ever found that actually had interesting fairies.

Theme-wise, I try not to be really on-the-nose about stuff like that? I find that when I think too hard about imposing specific themes on the story, I either get preachy as hell or I derail entirely. Things work out better when I don’t think too hard and just let the plot happen. If I had to write some out, though:

Nurture over nature, where you come from matters less than who you decide to be

Personal responsibility--you made the mess, you clean it up, and then you move forward, because wallowing helps no one

Everyone has the potential to become a better person, even the people who hurt you. Don’t let them hurt you again, but give them a chance to make things right. 

Change is good.

Abusive adults are gross and you should punch them.

So it’s a lot about personal agency. I think at the core it’s really a coming-of-age story, but it’s masked under ten levels of defiant screaming and flashy magic. Because here at sayaratyriea dot tumblr dot com, that’s just how we roll. The spirit of Feilan is the bigness, everything’s over the top and out of control and I guess the point is that over the top and out of control is okay. And it can be really entertaining and important sometimes. 

And INSPIRATIONS. Hoo boy, where do we start? I think I rambled about this briefly on my story page, but I don’t remember, so here goes. Feilan’s primary inspiration is a recess game I used to play with some close friends of mine in elementary school. Carolinainthemorning is one of those, Melody was the other Big Influence but I don’t remember what the hecky her URL is anymore?? rip. Anyways, we all had self inserts, and we’d play elaborate LARP games on the playground pretending to be some truly overpowered fairy warriors. As it happened, I grew attached, and I didn’t let go, I kept developing my lasery fairy self insert and her universe until I decided I wanted to write some books! 

The recess game itself was inspired by dozens of other stories, pretty much anything my friends and I came into contact with as children found itself wrapped into the world or the characters somehow. The most important ones were Winx Club, Avatar: the Last Airbender, the Redwall books, Eragon, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians? There were a whole lot more that I don’t remember off the top of my head, but you get the idea. Winx Club gave me fairies, Avatar gave me intelligently-written villains, Redwall gave me a ripe field of Medieval Fantasy Tropes ready to be stolen and skewered, and I totally stole Percy Jackson’s cool sword and made it blue. Oops. I’d also count Lord of the Rings as a secondhand influence--I didn’t actually read the books until I’d already finished drafts of books 1 and 2, but LOTR is the ancestor of pretty much every high fantasy story in existence and I do love me some fantasy linguistics. 

Homestuck’s also probably a big one. It didn’t influence the story or the universe, because I didn’t start reading it until most of the way through high school, but it prompted a HUGE shift in how I developed and thought about my characters and universe. Homestuck’s probably the number one reason why I came across those themes and hooks I mentioned earlier, because it got me thinking about how the still-fairly-whimsical characters of Feilan would realistically feel about the crazy plot twists I squeezed them through. Hint: they definitely don’t make it out unharmed. HS also gave me a taste for foreshadowing and character-specific symbolism that I’ve been riding ever since. 

I don’t think most of this stuff would be immediately obvious to a reader who wasn’t aware of it, honestly. Kyrina reads as an Azula expy if you squint really really hard, and the FOE is the father of all stereotypical villains, but I’ve put a lot of effort into building a story that feels like itself more than it resembles its inspirations! I don’t feel I have the authority to make an objective statement re: originality, since it is my story, but I made it a point to avoid writing Every Other Fantasy Novel Ever. 

Sorry this turned into a massive essay, I don’t know what you were expecting, but thanks for asking!! I always love a chance to ramble on. Hopefully by the time I’m finished a draft of the series that I’m satisfied with, I’ll have some better answers for questions like these. For now, I just want to finish the manuscript, and stop getting all tangled up on the beginning. :>

#taz shut up #feilan #thanks a lot for asking though... it Means Something(tm) #thanks also for reminding me that i'm procrastinating the fuck out of chapter 12 right now #i've been avoiding it for two weeks and i don't know why because there's really no good reason?? #i know exactly what needs to happen i'm just Really Freakin Lazy #it's funny because people will ask me about the story and they're all like 'hey taz when can i read the thing' #and i would LOVE to share #but i am so mad at the entire first book right now that i have no solid beginning to share? #it's becoming a problem #i know series are supposed to be one at a time and the first one has to be standalone #it's just that the story of feilan /is/ a series #that's just how it is #the first one has its own standalone functional arc but its role as a part of the whole matters a lot More #if i'm ever going to actually be a professional writer i should...probably start acting more professionally #but honestly fuck that it takes too much effort #i'd rather just have my personality #tumblr posts can always be deleted lol #Anonymous