#sleepyfam

[sleepyowlwrites]

tumblr shorts | hell in a handbasket

"Hey, psst, hey kid, c'mere."

"What?"

"Can I interest you in some," and it flourishes its cloak dramatically, "hell in a handbasket?"

The boy squints at it, unimpressed.

"Are you coming back with the water or what?" His mother calls.

"There's a demon in the yard, Ma!" He yells back.

"What does it want?"

"It's trying to sell me hell in a handbasket!"

His mother's voice gets closer as she's walking through the house. "What does it want for it?"

The boy looks back at the demon. "What do you want for it?"

"This is high-quality hell, but I'll give you a bargain," the demons starts before stopping to stare wide-eyed at the boy's mother exiting the house. "Uh, two vials of blood and um, a new sock."

The boy rolls his eyes. "You call that a bargain? I know how easy it is to stretch out a vial of blood. How can I be sure that's really high-quality hell?"

The demon splutters. "Of course it is! Poor quality hell just drips out of its basket and makes a mess. I don't want to have to repair this cloak again!"

The boy's mother joins them and inspects the basket. "Sealed with ocher and blood sap?"

"From dead pines," the demon says proudly. "Mixed it myself."

"I'll give you a half-dozen cockatrice feathers and mend your cloak with spider thread. And you can stay for dinner."

The demon wilts a little. "I really do need the blood."

"Fine, I'll bleed a couple drops into your soup," the boys says impatiently. "Is that okay, Ma?"

The mother looks the demon up and down. "A deal?"

The demon sighs. "Two drops of blood to go?"

"In the soup or not at all."

"It's a deal. Where did you get cockatrice feathers? They're so expensive these days."

The boy rolls his eyes harder and point over the hill behind the house. "We raise them."

The demon blinks at the boy. "So I could've stolen them?"

The mother snorts. "Only if you want to be the one bleeding into the soup."

"Fair enough. Here's your hell. What soup are you making?"

#writing #sleepy writing #sleepyfam #what even is this #i guess this is a series now #tumblr shorts

[starsfallings]

growing pains (or, a friend you never see again) | kexia z.

huge thank you to my friend ceru for inspiring this <3

in the dusty fields of spring you handed me a bundle of wheat and for lack of something better to do i placed it in my pocket

we never met again but when i find myself longing for something i can’t quite reach i take out that bundle of wheat

you tied it with a thin piece of string that day and i never undid the knot; for it felt like undoing everything we went through, letting it float away in the breeze

it’s falling apart now, this bundle of wheat, but i never forgot your smile when i told a joke, and the way you put your hands in your pockets whenever we walked

we never met again but i hope that wherever you are now you are still smiling at someone’s bad jokes and still put your hands in your pockets when you walk.

#wtwcommunity #sleepyfam #writing #writeblr #stars! words [ poetry ]. #stars! poetry [ uncategorised ]. #writers enabling writers u love to see it

[talesfromgringolandia]

Underwing Challenge Day 3 - Who is your main cast? Describe as many of your OCs as you can cram into one post.

Ok, here we go.

Clears throat, cracks knuckles:

While I am writing in third person, it's mostly from Bo’s POV. He is kind of uptight and considers himself responsible for his little sister. As eldest, he knows that he will one day be responsible for the wellbeing of his family and he takes that very seriously.

His little sister, Shen, is the exact opposite. She is very carefree and longs for excitement and adventure. She also really likes animals.

Those are the main characters. They are very simple, which I think will make them good POV’s for the world they are about to step into. Everybody else has five pages of backstory so buckle up kids.

Their father is Ambrose, a paladin of Felenor. Felenor is the titan of honor, justice, and protection, and Ambrose is as good a follower as he could possibly be. Many many years ago, he fled Destra, the original dwelling place of the Order of Felenor, when the order fell and Destra was taken over by paladins of Ildra, titan of despair and suffering. He still feels guilty for this, but Felenor appeared in his dreams telling him to wait in Endora, and gave him an amulet to protect until then. Ambrose doesn’t know what's in the amulet, but he waits in Endora until Felenor calls him to action. Since he knows he’s going to leave someday, he trains hard with Bo to prepare him to care for the family once Ambrose leaves. Before marrying Jolna, he lived in the city where he started an academy to train Guardians to protect the city from the monsters in the woods, as well as to uphold order within the city itself. The school is still operational, with a different headmaster.

Bo and Shen’s mother is Jolna, a skilled alchemist who also feels guilt over an unethical experiment she once participated in. She’s actually older than Ambrose, and at the beginning of the story, is starting to feel the effects of her age. She’s the one who suggested they move into the swamp, because she wanted to get away from all the alchemists who still see nothing wrong with the experiment.

The result of that experiment is named Carapit, a purple-skinned, winged humanoid. He is the result of human arrogance, as well as a reluctance to face the consequences of those decisions. Alchemists managed to catch a sprite, a being of pure aether, and combined it with a chimera they had previously created. The result was a being capable of terrible power, so they keep him chained up in a cave deep in the woods. Thanks to his ethereal heritage, he has telepathic capabilities. Jolna visits him regularly to make sure he’s well fed, but even she doesn’t know how to remove the sprite from him, and she knows that he really is too dangerous to be released.

Rhye is a skilled hunter, and possibly the only character here with a physical description: He’s blond and wears a green cloak. No, it's not just Link reskinned, shut up. He’s very proud of his hunting, tracking, and archery skills, and with good reason. He got kicked out of the Guardian Academy for being too much of a smartass, but he has skills to equal some of the students. He is also Ambrose’s biggest fan.

Ambrose’s brother kind of infuriates me because I cannot think up a good name for him! Nothing has really fit yet. He is a paladin of Lralso, titan of dishonor and despair. He is extremely jealous of his brother, who is the picture-perfect paladin of Felenor, which opened him up to being convinced by Lralso that honor was nothing but virtue signalling. He is going to be the inciting incident of Bo and Shen’s journey.

Another important character is Aaron Kel, captain of the Silverbird, a sky ship. He’s a pirate, but also feels guilty for stealing other people’s hard-earned stuff. He justifies it to himself by holding his crew to a high personal standard, and promising them a good start when they decide to leave his boat. This way, once they leave the boat they will (in theory) become upstanding members of society. In Captain Kel are all sorts of conflicting ideals.

Goni is from Minvir, the Isle full of ice and death. He was caught stealing food during a time of scarcity, and for that was (literally) branded a thief and banished from the tribe. After a long travel, he ended up in Galras, where he found employment in the navy as a boarder on a pirate chaser. Until one day, he gets captured by the crew of Captain Kel, who spare his life because he’s 7 foot 2 and could be a major help. Goni, according to his tribal customs, owes Captain Kel a life debt, and is fully committed to paying it back. So now he’s on the pirate ship.

Some honorable mentions who haven’t been developed enough yet:

A female paladin of Felenor who might end up being trained by Ambrose,

Captain Flucky, captain of a storming ship, one of many responsible for protecting the isle of Galras from dragon storms

The new headmaster of the Guardian Academy in Endora, who is good friends with Ambrose

A female Sentry, who uses clockwork armor powered by aether for fighting. This one is a student at the Guardian Academy.

Bear in mind that half of these exist fully in my head, and have not been written down until now. Particularly Jolna and Captain Kel.

#underwing challenge #sleepyfam #writblr #writeblr #writing #fantasy #worldbuilding #OC

[starsfallings-archived]

WTW PLANET PROMPTS - DAY 1 // MECURY: LOCATIONS

welcome to the kingdom of elysia , the larger kingdom on the planet of kielya.

The Kingdom of Elysia was formed as a result of many towns and farms uniting under a single banner — the Orleauxes’ — and was named after the root word “elysian”, which means “relating to or characteristic of heaven or paradise”. The Kingdom aimed to provide a safe haven for all who were loyal, and has held to this promise — or, well, and idea of it, at least — for the past few centuries. Along with the technological advances of the Kingdom as well as that of other dimensions, it has evolved into a place of worship and science, old and new, all melded together into one piece of intricate clockwork.

elysia, as described by the current princess and crown prince.

Interviewer: So, Your Highnesses, what is your opinion on this Kingdom?

Andre: Well, I definitely love the Delphinus Range. Beautiful mountains, excellent for skiing. I don’t suppose you’ve tried it? One must go during the Salidon Moon, the snow is perfect. Oh, and Mirsage Harbour is absolutely breathtaking, the sea view is just nice, and the ships! So many of them, I must say—

Verena: —yes, Andre, lovely ships. Now, for me, I just enjoy the thought of the Forests. They’re just so calming in a way? Not to mention the draw I have towards forests in general, all those trees... Oh, and the Talin Islands. Beautiful and untouched, literal paradise! We’re going to see if we can open one up to the public.

— retrieved from recording of an interview with the Orleauxes.

elysia, as described in the official texts

The Kingdom of Elysia ( also referred to as Elysia ) is the oldest in the dimension. It is split across two landmasses, Solias and Helisan. The Delphinus Range in Helisan is a popular tourist destination for those seeking colder weather, and the three of the four Forests of the Fae can be found in Elysia. Helisan is mostly unpopulated, save for Mirsage Harbour and the tip of the continent where a bridge connects it to the rest of Elysia. Average travel time by car in the capital is relatively quick, with smooth traffic operations.

&. behold elysia, kingdom of paradise, where anything and everything is possible.

↫↬

taglist under cut, message to be added/removed

@wildswrites @writing-in-rain @detectivesprince @akindofmagictoo

#writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #wtwevent #wtwcommunity #ofcolourtracking #sleepyfam #crabappletracking #elysian falls #the kingdom of elysia #verena orleaux #andre orleaux #awritingcat #rcvolutionary #wardsoftheseas

[enchanted-lightning-aes]

random art ask!

!!! I am just in awe of these water colors.^^ like *o*. these mix shades of blue is 💞💞💞.

#enchant answers #sleepyowlwrites #sleepyfam

[leafblogger]

somehow I always find myself desperately wishing to be in a different place than this. I listen to the cars outside my windows at night and trace their paths in my head, intersecting my street but always coming, always going. somewhere the sky reflects the sea. somewhere the paths are paved in dandelions. i walk in circles in the kitchen. i misspell my words. I survive in the hopes that someday I'll wake up in the morning and peel myself back like an orange to find who I really am has been there all along. I walk by the river and my shoes get muddy but it's all the same all the time. somewhere the snow is falling in a city and the sounds are getting muffled. somewhere I am mending fences and chopping wood. somewhere there is someone humming hymns under their breath and maybe that someone is me but the picture's getting foggy and I have to close my eyes. somewhere one person is talking and the other is listening. somewhere there is someone who loves me, someone who will love me, someone who doesn't know it yet. more than just one someone.

#my writing #my poetry #writeblr #poetblr #spilled ink #poetry #basically i was sad and then wrote this #should i use my taglist? idk #its not really. poetry. #its just like. words #idk we'll see #sleepyfam

[sakeenahwrites]

INTRODUCING: DRAKONBLUD 2.0 you thought you knew this story. so did i. turns out, we were both mistaken. prepare yourselves for the revamped version of drakonblud

#drakonblud #drakonblud 2.0 #new wip #new-ish wip #fantasy #thewriteblrcafe #sleepyfam #thepen&dagger #aneirin #jade #rosetta #kaeso #sabrione #cleared out the entire drakonblud tag and now we're restarting with this

[darkmagic-hours]

spite; the rage of the fae part one

curse you to the deepest part of the forest, where no light shines; curse you to the darkest part of the sea, where you may die; curse you, your life, your soul;

hope you may fail today, tomorrow; hope you lose, lose it all, every single day; hope you ruin your life, oh, to make me happy;

feel my anger, my wrath, my rage; feel me shout your name, scream it, fling it across the winds; feel me resist, hold back, refrain from taking a weapon to you;

I am mad, I am spiteful, I am filled with hatred; hatred for you, for all that you do; you have ruined me, I will now ruin you.

the quiet side of life, s. f.

taglist: (message to be added/removed)

@sleepyowlwrites @silverartistcat @acrimoneous

#writing #poetry #the quiet side of life #s. f. #the rage of the fae #yeah i changed names #s. f. is staying 'cause im lazy #rip me #thepen&dagger #intomatter #sautrnsfam #overthemoonfam #mithaifam #sleepyfam #beyondstars #thesun&themoon #storiesoftheharbour

[sleepyowlwrites]

tumblr shorts | the chosen one

“I’m the chosen one.”

“Oh, you got a prophecy about you or something?”

“No, I’m the chosen one. Nobody else wants to do the hard work, so they chose me.”

“Are you, like, especially skilled in areas that will help you defeat the enemy?”

“No. But there was a vote, and I guess because I was the only one who suggested actually making plans and fighting back, I was the default choice.”

“Oh, so you’re the leader now!”

“No, I’m just the chosen one. I have no say, no powers, not even a sword.”

“How are you supposed to defeat the enemy, then?”

“I gather that they’re going to make a prophecy about it, and if enough people believe in it, that’ll give me the boost I need.”

“Will it actually?”

“No.”

“So you’re just going to, like, die?”

“Probably. I mean, I’ll give it a good go. And if there’s a prophecy going around, maybe somebody will give me a decent sword and some combat training. I could form a team, gain some sidekicks, garner some loyalty. I might be able to make this work.”

“You think so?”

“Not really, no. But I’m the chosen one now. What else can I do?”

“Refuse?”

“Unfortunately, the one thing I do have is a need to prove myself, so I’ll get that sword, attract a group of followers, and try my best to defeat the enemy.”

“Maybe you really are the chosen one.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!”

#writing #sleepy writing #tumblr shorts #flash fiction #sleepyfam #writeblr community

[mary-is-writing]

Where Camellias Blossom

—WIP Introduction

Status: Writing the first draft

Genres: Fantasy, mystery, NA

Themes / Warnings: Found family, romantic and platonic love, purpose in life, healing / Violence, violent harassment and threats, manipulation, depictions of death.

Synopsis:

In the kingdom of Ruefille mages have an important role to prevent crimes committed by magic, and Tetsuya, an Official Fire Mage Class A, is one of them. But his duties suddenly change when he meets a nameless, orphan boy, who possess a type of magic that was thought to be a myth: Moon magic.

Taking an interest on him, Tetsuya decides to make him his aprentice to teach him and discover what exactly is Moon magic and why only he posseses it, naming the boy "Liu" in the process. However, things start to get complicated when Liu's unique magic attracts unwanted attention, and there could be more than meets the eye behind the mystery of his powers...

Excerpt:

“The magic that child was using was not common magic, Bill. I think he may be a Moon user.” Bill blinked, not being able to believe what he just heard his colleague say.

“Wait, wait... What? Are you sure? Did you see well? Maybe it was Dark magic…”

“Not at all. The color was different, I guarantee it”, Tetsuya smiled. “Isn't it exciting? There are a lot of people who believe Moon magic is a myth, and here we are, in front of a Moon user.”

“No, no, we can't confirm that yet...” Bill worried about the emotion he was seeing in Tetsuya, who barely got thrilled by anything. He knew he was planning something and asked him bluntly. “Tetsuya, what are you trying to do by saying that?”

"I have a great idea, Bill", he replied. “A great idea.”

Not official Soundtrack:

-The Beginning - One Ok Rock

-Mikazuki - Sayuri

Tag: #wcb

Safe Creative: 2103047084038

This is my fantasy wip!! It takes place in another world where magic is common so people and societies have adapted it to their everyday lives, and recently I finished the outline so I’m introducing it now. 

This is one of those wips that started as a standalone but as soon as I began outlining I was like nope, this needs to be a series or I won't have enough space to write everything. I'm guessing it'll end up as a trilogy, but maaaybe I could fit everything in two big books? Well, we'll see.

Taglist: @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @goblingraveyard @hope-hopefully-writes​ @hysteriwah​

#wcb #where camellias blossom #writeblr #writing #my writing #wip #my wip #fantasy #wip intro #wip introduction #ask if you wanna be added to the taglist! #writing stuff #writers stuff #sleepyfam

[starsfallings]

𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 + 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐨𝐥. 𝟏: 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 — 01.01.2021

I’m back with another chapbook! While it explores similar themes to CHILDHOOD: NONE, there are several unusual formats used to better display the topics and mood.

𝐢. 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞

The first four pieces are interactive, and i highly suggest that you click the links found before the text. If you find it too much a hassle, plain text is provided in the PDF. Have fun, and you can always share your experience in my askbox!

𝐢𝐢. 𝐚𝐰, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠

The next three pieces are regular prose, so please don’t expect too much in terms of formatting and display! These are more muted and do deal with negative emotions, so please read at your own risk.

𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

mentions of weaponry, violence and allusions to death, negative feelings.

𝐢𝐯. 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜.

I’ve included two song recommendations in the PDF, and you can either ignore them or play them on loop as they are named! Enjoy~

READ IT HERE

#wtwcommunity #writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #sleepyfam #crabappletracking #001. words #003. images #004. mine #another star in the sky: sticks + stones #fate is written in the stars

[talesfromgringolandia]

Storms on Venus

The dangers of the storm are not to be taken lightly. A bolt of lightning can blast a house apart, or the winds can tear the fins from a sky-ship. But even aside from the perils of the weather, something else lurks within the clouds.

He does this every time. Stands outside as the thunder rages overhead. Thunderstorms are dangerous on Venus, but I never really understood how he thought a shotgun would help. My mother didn't either. Still doesn't. She just tells me we have to tolerate the strange things he does ever since the clockwork sentient attacked.

But then I saw what lurks in the clouds. And I understand why he stands guard outside our house every time a storm passes overhead, manning a dangerous post.

The storms don't form in the upper atmosphere. They begin far below the floating island we call home, down in the murky Deep. Storms are common down there, I always heard from the dwarves who lower themselves to the surface for the valuable soil and metal. Sometimes they get big enough that they rise to our level, threatening the lives of everyone in their path. I heard from a traveler that an entire island was once destroyed by a storm.

But storms aren't the only thing down there in the Deep. The dwarves tell of fleeting shadows that appear and vanish in the blink of an eye in front of the window of their elevator, barely visible through the perilous clouds. They all know that something lurks in the dark. But they don't know what.

My father does.

It must have first appeared during the attack of the gear-born, clockwork robots built by the Sentient. My mother and I were cowering behind the city walls, along with most other farmers and factory-folk. But my father, with all other able-bodied men, was outside the walls fighting the horde. A storm made the event all the more dramatic, and that was when Dad saw the beast.

The second time, I saw it too. A storm was drifting unusually close to the island of Galras, and as usual, Dad stood guard outside the house, shotgun in hand. I wanted to know what Dad was so afraid of, and had creeped outside the house to crouch behind him, unseen and unheard. My father, usually so stoic, was unusually jumpy, starting at every wind that blew, every lightning bolt that struck some cloud a thousand miles away. The lightning was almost the only thing visible through the thick cloud that enveloped the world around us, blotting out anything more than 10 meters away. That was when the beast appeared.

Dad saw it before I did. I noticed when his jumpiness vanished, and he raised his gun, seemed to focus every ounce of his being in one direction. I followed that direction, and saw only blackness until a flash of lightning illuminated the predator in the clouds. One half second of light was only enough time to reveal the large, swooping wings that held the beast aloft. Another unveiled the long, reed-like tail. Finally, the third flash saw the creature approaching, wings folded as it dived towards the ground. A high-pitched screech filled our ears as the beasts dark face filled our vision.

"Shoot!" I yelled and instantly regretted it, thinking that Dad would be distracted by my voice. But even I could barely hear myself above the harsh winds and thunder. The beast continued its approach, 30 meters, 20 meters, only barely visible as a moving shadow slightly darker than the rest of the cloud, and the whole time, the mysterious screech continued to gain pitch and volume. Finally, as its monstrous face broke the cloud barrier, Dad pulled the trigger, releasing his own thunder bolt directly into the beast's face. The powerful bullet plowed into the monster, knocking its head to the side. Opening its mouth, a powerful lightning bolt shot out . I screamed in terror as the blast scorched the bare dirt beside our house. And just as quick as it had appeared, the dragon turned and fled into the storm, vanishing from our sight in seconds.

I crept inside and spent the night sobbing into Mom's arms. Dad stood out there the rest of the night, which was thankfully uneventful. And now I know what Dad guards us against.

The dangers of the storm are not to be taken lightly. A bolt of lightning can blast a house apart, or the winds can tear the fins from a sky-ship. But even aside from the perils of the weather, something else lurks within the clouds.

#writeblr #writing #sleepyfam #fantasy #writblr #scifi #bo and shen #Fantasy Venus

[starsfallings-archived]

↳ WIP (RE)INTRO // A FLAME IN THE STARS

ft. a banner based on the minimalist cover i made [ which in turn was inspired by @anomaly00​ and @vespatrix​ <3 ]

↫↬

only by uncovering the past can you discover the future;

One unlikely group of friends. One sorceress hell-bent on revenge. One chance to save the world - or doom it to destruction.

Fate has tied six friends together. Now, they have to chase Annelyrin, famed sorceress, across the dimensions, in the hope that they will be in time to stop her from carrying out her greatest plan of all — destroying the world they all love so dearly. All while navigating their feelings for each other and understanding that some things aren’t meant to be known.

and only by discovering the future can you save the world.

ELEVYNNE TRUE ; Guardian ; done with your nonsense ; i will love you until the last star winks out, and even after that, i will still love you.

CHARISS QUIRE ; Scholar ; young talent ; we lose and we love and you know what? i think i enjoy that bit that makes even me human.

AURE DECKER ; artist/shopkeeper ; quietly observant ; how i wish i knew what love looked like so i could paint it [ ... ] love is everything i’ve painted.

AISLIN GIVEROW ; poisoner ; motherly ; love is everything beautiful and everything painful, all at once.

CARHYS BLACKWAVE-ALTHERA ; spy ; constantly moody ; stop telling me that you love me when you don’t.

IANE KESLER ; Chairperson ; too charming ; love? my friend, i will not find love, not when there are so many others forcing theirs on me.

↫↬

obligatory second header bc i love @rcvolutions​

ID under cut !

FIRST HEADER ; a dark blue background with a sun-like icon on either side, enlarged so only part of it is visible. on the left, tilted vertically and layered on a constellation, is the tagline “only by uncovering the past can you discover the future”. on the right, a similar setup with a different constellation and the name “asena f.” right in the middle is the title “a flame in the stars”.

SECOND HEADER ; various photographs, all with darker tones. in the middle is an icon resembling an oval-shaped grey firework, and on top of that in cursive is the title “A Flame In The Stars”.

#writing #writeblr #writers on tumblr #wtwcommunity #ofcolourtracking #sleepyfam #beyondstars #crabappletracking #rcvolutionary #a flame in the stars #elevynne true #chariss quire #aure decker #aislin giverow #carhys blackwave althera #iane kesler #awritingcat #the way i have an entire system dedicated to how i list my OCs #scary

[the-flower-duet]

Cause there’s something in a Sunday, that makes a body feel alone.

#aesthetic #beautiful cats #cats of tumblr #kittykitty #catoftheday #catslover #catstagram #garden #cute cats #dark academia #johnny cash #kittycat #kitties #rosestagram #bouquet of roses #classy #lazy sunday #lazy baby #sleepycat #sleepyfam #while you were sleeping #sleeping beauty #cottage academia #cottagecore

[leafblogger]

august 1st by j.b.g. / photo by j.b.g. (transcription, photo ID under the cut)

taglist (send an ask/dm me to be +/-): @a-paper-crane @tobeatragedy @elliewritesstories @dissappropriation @birdywrites @deathbyworm

ID: The sky after a storm. The sun is breaking through the grey clouds. There are powerlines and the silhouette of trees on the bottom. It’s foggy and the sun is going down, so the light is colored pink, purple, and blue. A see-through white block is overlaid on top with the following text which is colored purple:

Transcription: 

AUGUST 1ST

I grew into all the wrong places, 

all sharp-boned and air pockets.

 I’m shrapnel in a soft-skinned body. 

I’m elbows and ribs. I’m awkward standing here alone. 

It’s too early and too late and 

at this point I’ve resigned to the dark.

 I turned in my letter; 

I blew out the match. 

There’s no spark. 

Stop looking, it’s futile.  

There are fluorescent lights in my kitchen 

and they shine down on the cereal boxes,

on the day-old bananas, 

on the dirty sink. It’s the holy 

glow, ghostly glow, greenish on your cheekbones 

in the morning

in the night. It’s the unearthly alien glare 

reflecting off the inside of your eyelids 

reflecting off the dark 

behind the wiring in your skull.  

I hid it back there, 

a place I knew you would never look. 

The spark grew and grew and

now I’ve got a fire 

(which should be a dead give-away), 

but you never look, and anyway, the smoke’s covering up the dark, now, too. 

You can’t even tell. I knew 

you wouldn’t. 

I’m still all wrong. I can feel 

where I hid it all—the pain tucked 

behind my ribs, under my sternum. 

A little pocket of red-hot. 

There’s a sun reflecting off a lake 

reflecting the mountains back towards the sun,

 surrounded by trees and lupine. I go there sometimes. 

It’s hidden in the flat part 

of my skull, and I put it there before

the dark could ever get to it. 

It’s safe now. 

I don’t have to be alone. I know that. 

Do you know that? Would you let me know that? 

Could you trust me to make my own decisions for once? 

At least the ceilings aren’t tiled at home. 

Maybe that’s not such a good thing,

now that I think about it. Maybe 

I want it to be hard. Maybe it’s okay 

if it’s harder than I thought, if I’m not alone. 

If I’ve got you smiling with me.

End ID

#my writing #poetry #august 1st #hey folks i wrote this last night! #idk how i feel about it #but i'm proud of the visual #it's basically my headspace rn #(going back to school/growing up/rebelling/mental health) #sleepyfam #poetblr #writeblr