distortedfabrications

[distortedfabrications]

                                      previously distortedfabrications.

[distortedfabrications]

                                      previously distortedfabrications.

[distortedfabrications]

mrxna:

  Xander is well aware that it’s for show; practically everything Elliott has done has been for show. For the years he’s known him, the hours spent observing all his little mannerisms and quirks in even intimate situations, he’s never quite understood that part of his friend. That makes it all the more infuriating. His jaw sets.

  “You’re saying this to make me feel better, but it does matter. I know you are not marrying him out of boredom. Just like I know you are not asking me along out of caring. I’d rather you didn’t patronize me.”

   Bitter words are his only self-defense. He knows she’s sifting through his thoughts at this very moment, looking for find ways to break down his inhibition. He’s managed to convince himself that he would rather they leave him be and go on with their lives. He’d rather be alone than be someone’s third wheel - someone who’s simply there to fill another’s void.

  “… Besides, it would not be smart for me to put off more work than I have.”

     Phoebe looks down at her hands. She twists the ring back and forth. “You don’t know any of that. I’m the one who can read minds.” It’s a little bratty, she knows that. It feels kind of wrong to sound so childish. His reaction to her is just as silly, though. She gazes back up at him and reaches her arms out. Jade eyes search his.

     “I know I didn’t marry him out of boredom-- I care about him. I love him. And I know that it won’t be the same for him if you aren’t there. I know he won’t feel so comfortable. And I know how you feel-- bothered by him, and jealous, and confused. Things would be less so if you just let me in. --Come closer.”

[distortedfabrications]

*falls in love with the attention you give me but not with you*

[distortedfabrications]

mrxna:

  Xander seems incredulous at the suggestion, responding with only a dry laugh. He’s barely looked at Phoebe this entire time, at least in the face. It’s not the image of a wedding gown that gets to him, but Phoebe being the one wearing it. It’s more than jealousy that he feels: it’s a deep sense of wrong. Xander keeps quiet about it, though. His own helplessness is something he’d rather not acknowledge.

  There’s a shrug.

  “—And Elliott has put you up to this?”

     She doesn’t answer that. He’s pitying himself. He’s envious, she’s sure of that-- but she doesn’t understand why.

     “Neither ring’s on your finger, but that doesn’t mean so much. I know how you feel, and how he feels, and how I feel. The rings don’t matter. The wedding doesn’t matter. There’s no reason to be jealous. It’s all for show.”

     Phoebe is well aware of Elliott’s plans to please his father. That doesn’t make him a bad husband; he is someone she likes to be around, anyway. She gets to sit in this big house and wait for him to come home every day. She can go to her work sometimes-- yes, the job that only calls every once in awhile. It would help her pass the time. And her doctor’s appointments. There are those, too.

     But Xander always fills a void between her and Elliott. Even if she doesn’t know him so well, he is always there. Elliott knows him. Sometimes, it feels like she knows him just as well.

     “We both want you with us.”

[distortedfabrications]

@mrxna

     “We want you to come with us. On our honeymoon.” She smooths her hands out across the waves and rolls of her dress. Phoebe has tucked herself away from the crowds of wedding guests downstairs. No one would ever go snooping into Elliott’s office. She knows that much. Xander is the welcome exception-- she had whispered to him to follow her up, to get away from the crowd with her.

[distortedfabrications]

convivir:

“Haven’t heart of him but he sounds like he didn’t get any tail whatsoever.” And with Sophia’s additional not-so-fun fact, Petunia marks an invisible tally in the air. “2 for Petunia, 0 for the virgin nerds.”

     She fakes a pout. “I’m personally offended.”

[distortedfabrications]

supcrbia:

  Percy nods along, listening. He’s charmed. If he hadn’t maintained such a fair reputation in their rather sizable neighborhood over the years, he might be less cautious about fraternizing so freely with the young man. But a few social visits never hurt anyone.

   “You know, now that I think about it, I haven’t introduced you to my indoor plants, yet.”

     “Your indoor plants?” Phaedrus knows that sounds like a complete excuse to get him in the house, but he’s not 100% on Percy’s intentions. The boy kicks his foot against the pavement, considering the door behind the man.

     “Well, I’d love to take a look at them.”

[distortedfabrications]

Hey ya’ll,

Glass Mountain Literary Journal is in another reading season! We’re a Houston-based undergraduate journal looking to publish emerging writers and artists. To us, “emerging writers and artists” is defined by those who don’t have an MFA/PhD in Creative Writing/Art. We have published people of all ages and from all around the world. I encourage everyone to submit their work!

Submission categories include fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, reviews, and art– we would love to start publishing comics, and we’re also interested in publishing translations or works in Spanish. You can submit your work through Submittable for free. All you have to do to upload your work is sign up for Submittable– it’s a nag-free website, they won’t be spamming up your email. Our deadline is October 3rd, 2016.

If ya’ll are interested, you can find our submit page here. For more information, you can shoot me a message or send the journal an email at  glassmountaineditors@gmail.com.

[distortedfabrications]

supcrbia:

  “Yes, aren’t they lovely? —I can’t say I have anything that needs tending to. And you’ve done the most tedious of it, I think. Very generous of you to offer, though.” Percy leans with his shoulder against one of the porch foundations. “Are you usually this eager to help people?”

     “Oh, well, I usually help my parents around the house. A little yard-work in the back. Mostly just cooking, though. My mother taught me how to cook.” He stands just below on the paved walkway, rubbing his hands together. “So I suppose the answer is sort of yes.”

[distortedfabrications]

@supcrbia

     “--The flowers are looking pretty good. Is there anything you need done today?”

[distortedfabrications]

     “He wasn’t that bad of a guy, I’m sure. Anyway, have you seen Gottfried Leibniz? If Newton hadn’t shown up to invent it, then you’d be talking about Leibniz right now--” She looks him up on Wikipedia, land of the “Personal life” category. “--And yeah, he never married. Who knows if he had better luck than Newton.”

@distortedfabrications

“You know Newton died a virgin, right? That’s what his bitch ass gets for inventing calculus.”

[distortedfabrications]

The Nice Guys (2016) dir. Shane Black

[distortedfabrications]

…I am talking about evil. It blooms. It eats. It grins.

Anne Carson,  Glass, Irony, and God (via monstrauma)

[distortedfabrications]

[distortedfabrications]

*dad voice* absolutely not