he-who-writes

[he-who-writes]

Reasons my novel will probably never be published during my lifetime, or if I do so I’m going under a pseudonym:

There’s a sexual encounter with a minor involved in the first chapter (it’s not glorified, the scene is traumatic, but it’s there)

Heavy child abuse and domestic violence throughout the whole thing

BDSM galore

Dubious consent

Fucked up political views

Death, death, gruesome deaths, yes children included

Suicide and self-harm are recurring themes

Way too many radical left concepts for mainstream to accept it

And so much more!

Then again, I use writing to cope with stuff and I write for myself so maybe it’s good that this story won’t be shared with many people.

[he-who-writes]

Note that mon chéri and ma chérie are the same, just that one is masculine (mon chéri) and the other feminine (ma chérie). Ma belle is also feminine, you wouldn’t call a man or someone who’s masc that way, you’d say “mon beau” (my beautiful, but masculine). Mon doux is masculine, if you want to say it to a woman, you would say “ma douce”. Not all “mon” nicknames are masculine though - you can call a woman “mon petit chou”, “mon lapin”, “mon soleil”, “mon ange”, but all “ma” nicknames on this list are feminine - you wouldn’t call a man “ma puce” or “ma perle”.

Sweet French nicknames

- Mon Chéri (My darling)

- Ma Chérie (My dear)

- Mon Amour (My love)

- Mon Petit Cœur (My little heart)

- Mon Trésor (My treasure)

- Ma Belle (My beautiful)

- Mon Ange (My angel)

- Mon Doux (My sweet)

- Mon Petit Chou (My little cabbage)

- Mon Lapin (My rabbit)

- Ma Puce (My flea)

- Ma Princesse (My princess)

- Mon Roi (My king)

- Mon Soleil (My sun)

- Ma Perle (My pearl)

[he-who-writes]

Writing community?

*knock knock*

Yes, hi, I need the collective mind.

My fantasy novel has a famous alcohol that is made from a citrus fruit. But as citrus fruits are not suitable for making alcohol due to their acidity, I want to make a fictional fruit that is a combination of existing fruits, one of them a citrus fruit.

So…hit me with your combinations. The fruit grows in a year-round hot country, the alcohol is enjoyed chilled, sometimes on ice. Think sangria and whatnot.

[he-who-writes]

If you’re going to write someone with NPD, do more research. This is a “narcissistic” (big emphasis on the quotation marks) character, a caricature of an actual disorder that doesn’t need more stigmatization and vilification in the media. We need more characters with NPD who are good. Who are part of the story not as an antagonist. And we need to stop demonizing mental health conditions that we find “unacceptable” like NPD and ASPD.

Writing a "Narcissistic" Character

Narcissist - an entitled and sometimes arrogant and manipulative person who primarily views other people as means to their own ends.

Some narcissists might come across as unpleasant, but others are charismatic and engaging until you cross them.

A covert narcissist like this might shift from acting like a charming adult to throwing a temper tantrum when they realize you won’t give in to their demands.

You might find you encounter more narcissists in fields centered around competition or winning.

For example, a well-meaning entrepreneur might come across a competitor or colleague with an extremely inflated sense of self—and this might present speed bumps for both parties.

Similarly, family law and divorce lawyers come across many people exhibiting narcissistic traits in their personal lives and must negotiate with that in mind.

As a caveat, although you might be able to accurately theorize as to whether or not someone possesses narcissistic tendencies, you should leave diagnosing someone with an actual narcissistic personality disorder to a professional.

Key Narcissistic Traits

You can spot narcissistic traits if you know what to look for specifically. Some qualities to keep in mind to identify narcissism:

Innate sense of entitlement: Everyone wants things to go their way if possible, but narcissists expect them to at all times and at all costs. The average person is willing to compromise and anticipates delayed rather than instant gratification in many scenarios. A narcissist, by contrast, expects everyone to be a willing contributor to their happiness all day, every day, no matter the extenuating circumstances. Psychologists call this endless drive for gratification at the expense of others “narcissistic supply.”

Inflated view of self: It’s one thing to be confident, it’s quite another to think you’re the most important person in the room at all times. Someone with narcissistic tendencies expects everyone to treat them like a king or queen. They often fall into delusions of grandeur and bouts of self-mythologizing to justify why people need to bow to their whims at all times.

Lack of empathy: Narcissistic abuse is common due to the lack of empathy such an attitude engenders. When someone considers their needs above anyone else’s, it makes them less likely to understand other people and more likely to hurt others to get what they want.

Prone toward manipulation: If you’re dealing with a narcissist, expect them to pull out manipulative tricks to get you to do what they want. This might mean gaslighting, belittling, or outright lying to you in the interest of throwing you off balance and getting you to succumb to their demands.

How to Negotiate With a Narcissist

Navigating the negotiation process with a narcissist might be difficult, but it’s definitely doable. Remember these tips as you advocate for yourself with someone who cares more about their own ego:

Iron out concrete details. Before entering a negotiation scenario with a narcissist, sit down and ask what you want out of the negotiations. Try journaling or filling out a worksheet to help you figure out your needs. You can also rely on third parties to help you do this more effectively. For example, if you’re trying to leave a narcissistic spouse, your divorce attorney can assist on this front.

Play to their narcissistic tendencies. To get what you want from a narcissist, sometimes you have to give them what they desire most: adoration. Of course, you can merely feign this sense of awe—stroking their ego with the knowledge you’re only doing so as a negotiation tactic. For example, suppose you’re in law school dealing with a narcissistic professor who has a track record of grading final exams unfairly unless a student praises their teaching. In this scenario, you could tell them you appreciated their lecture or you listened to their podcast as you leave class one day to get them on your side.

Practice emotional detachment. Negotiating with a narcissist can get ugly. Devaluing and abusing other people is one of the central tools in a narcissist’s arsenal. Especially if you’re in an emotional situation already—like a divorce case—it’s paramount to try to practice as much mindful detachment as you can. Remind yourself their words do not define you or reflect reality. For that matter, in this scenario, you can also rely in part on other parties to do your negotiating for you—that’s a major reason people pay attorney’s fees in the first place.

Stand your ground. Even if you grit your teeth and stroke a narcissist’s ego to get a concession at times, it’s important to stand your ground and maintain your sense of self. Always negotiate like you matter—because you do, regardless of any abuse they might hurl your way. Narcissists, at their root, are often very insecure—and your self-awareness and confidence can trump these insecurities in a negotiation scenario. Remind yourself you are strong and your own well-being is your first priority—this way, you can leave interactions like this knowing your pride and your feelings of self-worth are still intact.

Source ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[he-who-writes]

Writing Reference: Animal Adjectives

Accipitrine - of or related to the birds of prey

Anserine - of, relating to, or resembling a goose

Aquiline - of, relating to, or resembling an eagle

Asinine - of, relating to, or resembling an ass

Bovine - of, relating to, or resembling bovines, esp. the ox or cow

Bubaline - pertaining to or resembling the true buffaloes

Cancrine - of or resembling a crab

Canine - of or resembling that of a dog

Caprine - of, relating to, or being a goat

Corvine - of or relating to the crows; resembling a crow

Equine - of, relating to, or resembling a horse

Feline - of, relating to, or affecting cats

Leonine - of, relating to, suggestive of, or resembling a lion

Lupine - of or relating to wolves

Murine - of, relating to, or involving rodents, esp. the house mouse

Pavonine - of, relating to, or resembling the peacock

Piscine - of, relating to, or characteristic of fish

Porcine - of, relating to, or suggesting swine

Ranine - of or relating to frogs

Serpentine - of or resembling a serpent

Ursine - suggesting or characteristic of a bear

Vespine - of, relating to, or resembling wasps

Vulpine - of, relating to, or resembling a fox

Zebroid - related to or resembling a zebra

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ More: Word Lists ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[he-who-writes]

“Oh. Uh, as long as I add things to my bucket list, I can’t die. I’ll only die once the list is complete and since I keep adding new things to it that I want to try, well, I’m still here.”

“Sounds…tedious. How do you keep coming up with new things?”

“People keep inventing new things.”

“Wait, how long have you been doing this?”

“Well, let’s see…One time I only had taste whiskey which had just begun to be made in Scotland, and it made me very nervous to only have one thing on there so I added that I wanted a pocket watch, which Peter Henlein had just invented, so I knew it would give me some time until I could get my hands on one. So…I mean, a while?”

“Dude, I just googled, this happened in 1510, how old are you??”

“Well, I don’t age if I keep adding things either but technically? I remember the discovery of cheese. Lots of trials and errors by the way, and my goodness was there some wacky trials and even wackier errors!”

"So, what immortality do you have?" "What?" "Well everybody in this room has a type of immortality, I got hyper regeneration, the guy over the is a lich, the girl in leather can save and reload, and I am not bothered enough to keep talking so what is your immortality?"

[he-who-writes]

Writing Worksheet: Fictional Plant

FOUND FLORA

Where:

When:

Plants I see:

Plants I smell:

Describe a plant you don't recognise:

Invent a...

Name for it:

Use for it:

History for it:

What's in...

Leaf?

Bloom?

Questions to consider...

Who or what planted this plant?

What does this plant see or sense?

How does this plant get on with its neighbours?

How is this plant adapting to its environment?

What is at the root of this plant?

Who was this plant’s last visitor?

Where are this plant’s parents or progeny?

How did this plant look when it was younger?

Follow this plant through the seasons.

If this plant could talk, what would it tell you?

What makes this plant unique?

Look up the botanical description of this plant.

What makes this plant perfect?

What makes this plant imperfect?

What is this plant’s greatest desire?

What is this plant’s greatest fear?

How does this plant defend itself?

How does this plant deal with adversity?

What will happen after this plant dies?

What is this plant’s favourite memory?

What does this plant think about itself?

How does this plant move?

What do you feel when you touch this plant?

What can this plant sense that you can’t?

How is this plant like you?

What can you learn from this plant?

Source ⚜ More: Worksheets & Templates ⚜ Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding

[he-who-writes]

he/they. 1991. this is a writing/writing inspiration blog.

nothing is in order, sorry. i write filth often. if you have any triggers, i would advise against reading my stuff, even though i try to tag it. i'm potentially maybe perhaps working on a novel but it's all jumbled and i'm writing chapters and scenes out of order.

18+ highly suggested. violence, sexual themes, pretty graphic stuff going on here. i'm not your dad but like, i don't want you to have to show my blog to your parents when they ask where you read that shit.

[he-who-writes]

sorry i’m late. i was listening to the wind in the trees.

[he-who-writes]

I think some people forget that some literature and some media is meant to be deeply uncomfortable and unsettling. It's meant to make you have a very visceral reaction to it. If you genuinely can't handle these stories then you are under no obligation to consume them but acting as if they have no purpose or as if people don't have a right to tell these stories, stories that often relate to the darkest or most disturbing parts of life, then you should do some introspection.

[he-who-writes]

He blinked. Of course, his wife was right. Of course, it would probably give Benjamin nightmares if he knew the truth, he was a little too young for this conversation. And who knew when the right time would be to be truthful.

“The Earth has two moons” was a much easier answer to give to children. To the confused elderly. To people who had wiped the truth from their mind to save their sanity. To everyone who didn’t want to face the reality of the situation.

“The Earth has two moons” was an observable fact if one looked up to the night sky without asking too many questions. The first one a bright orb that reflected the sun’s light, and the second a celestial body of similar size, glinting like a marble. Many planets had more than one moon, why not Earth?

“The Earth has two moons” was a comforting statement, a reassuring explanation. And since the worldwide ban on owning and/or operating telescopes, who could really prove it wasn’t a moon? After all, at a glance, on most nights, it looked like one.

“The Earth has two moons” was what he repeated to himself over and over every time he remembered the screams, the blood, the riots, the chaos. “The Earth has two moons” was what his wife whispered every night they woke up from a nightmare. “The Earth has two moons” was what they tried to convince themselves of when the winter solstice came around and everyone hunkered down in their homes with the curtains closed and all entrances barricaded.

“The Earth has two moons” was the headline every morning in every newspaper following the solstice. “The Earth has two moons” was on every politician’s and world leader’s lips. But most people knew the truth.

The Earth has one moon. Do not step foot outside on the longest night. Do not look up to the stars. Forget the names of people who do so. And for the sake of everyone and everything you hold dear:

Do not look at the eye of God.

“Dad, is it true that the Earth used to only have one moon?” “Well, technically, the second one isn’t a moo—“ “Dear, we don’t talk about such things.”

[he-who-writes]

Ten things I love about you (and the one thing I can’t stand)

1. Every Tuesday morning, you wake up early because you have a 9AM class and you stop by your favourite coffee shop on the way. You sit at the table closest to the front window so you can people watch. You always order an egg and cheese croissant with a cappuccino (with a dash of cinnamon sprinkled on top). You’re so polite and friendly to the employees and other patrons, and you never leave without tipping.

2. Your favourite band is My Chemical Romance even though you were born in 2005, because it’s your big brother’s favourite band. You even have a shirt from their Black Parade world tour, that you actually stole from your brother’s closet before moving out here for college. You know all of their lyrics by heart and you love singing their songs in the shower.

3. You’re very food adventurous, more than anyone I’ve ever known. It’s like nothing is too bizarre for you to taste; I’ve seen you try all sorts of meat and even insects, and one of your favourite meals is frog legs, which I have to admit sounds disgusting to me. But you speak about food and all of its intricacies so passionately that it’s almost impossible to dismiss your words. You really just love to explore options and try new things.

4. You collect noodle stopper figurines, which wouldn’t be such a big deal if you didn’t assign each of them specific brands and flavours. At first I thought it was a coincidence that your Blue Rose Hatsune Miku always sat on Chef Woo’s Thai lemongrass cup of ramen but after a while, I realized that she never sat on any other cup. I always wonder if you’ve written down your sorting system somewhere or if you just naturally remember who goes with what cup. It’s such an adorable (and very specific) quirk.

5. On Friday nights, when most of our classmates go out to drink and party, you spend the evening at the library. I thought you were studying at first but unless you have an exam coming up, you just read for fun. The silence is almost deafening some days, because nobody is there but us. You sit at a table with a few books, usually really niche non-fiction stuff, and you flip through them until something really catches your attention. Nature, historical facts, true crime, politics, societal issues - there’s nothing you won’t read. You’ve taken out “Other-Wordly: Words Both Strange and Lovely from Around the World” three times already, maybe I should buy it for you on your birthday.

6. You talk in your sleep. A lot. And you also laugh the cutest laugh like someone in your dreams tickled you. Most of what you say is nonsense, real words but strung together in sentences that nobody awake would say in any context. I’ve heard you ask questions so absurd that I had to cover my mouth to avoid waking you up with my giggling, and I have to admit that I’ve recorded you a few times just so I wouldn’t forget all the funny things I’ve heard.

7. Your cat Milkshake is spoiled rotten. I know this sounds like a critic but it’s something I adore about you. Maybe it’s because I grew up around men who didn’t show much feelings, or only owned dogs, but your relationship with your cat is so special. I didn’t even know you could take cats out on walks before I saw you put Milkshake into his little harness to tour the neighbourhood. The fact that you have tiny seasonal bandanas for him melts my heart. And I know you hold full conversations with the little guy, where you give him his own little voice and everything.

8. You have the funniest way to sneeze. I’m so used to the stereotypical loud sneeze from men in my life, but yours is so unusual. It goes up in pitch in one syllable and then down in the second, like a word, like you’re an alien who read that the onomatopoeia for sneezing is “achoo” and decided that you should try to emulate it. But you’re an alien so you have an accent on your “achoo” and it doesn’t sound quite like the way we say it. It’s so hard to explain but it’s so delightful and always makes me smile.

9. At least once a month, you have a virtual movie night with your dad. You’re both fans of horror, thrillers, sci-fi, and similar genres so you try to always watch new releases that sound interesting when they’re available to stream. And you’re not scared of crying when something tragic happens, even in front of your father, who never berates you for it even though he’s from an older generation. Your favourite movie is The Invitation and your father really loved Parasite - both are awesome movies, by the way.

10. You have a hidden tattoo on the side of your left thigh. You never show it but you really should, because it’s so beautiful. The way the artist rendered Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa in full colour, using a shade that perfectly replicates the rich Prussian blue used back then is spectacular. It really looks like a woodblock print that somehow fades seamlessly into your skin. I don’t know why you hide it, or what it means to you, but I could look at it for hours and never get bored of it.

With all of that said, I should really tell you what I can’t stand though, right? Communication in relationships is paramount after all.

What I really hate about you...The one thing I despise.

Is that you don’t know that I exist.