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[raebellian]

can anyone tell me what this business of lestat being a rapist is about in the later books because ive just started reading post QOTD and someone told me he literally rapes someone... why would anne do that? and like i don’t wanna believe lestat would do something so awful :( he may be a little bitch but he’s not totally evil like that... what purpose does it serve? my heart is a little broken :(

OOHH LEMME HUG YOU. CAN I PLS????

Ah, I wish I could, but I won’t lie to you. You don’t deserve it, and as much as some of us love Lestat, what he did was—is—inexcusable, especially if you accept later books as canon. He’s both done things equivalent to rape, and he’s actually raped. Both prominent instances occur in Tale of the Body Thief, but I’m not sure how far along you are post-Queen of the Damned or how many spoilers you’ve seen. For one of these, he claims he feels remorseful, but the incident is not revisited. We’re sort of made to forget it, although a lot of us don’t—especially those of us who’ve had our share of unwanted experiences. 

I’m not sure why Anne thought these non-consensual bits were necessary, either. Maybe it was to show how reverse things had become after the whole Akasha ordeal (after all, didn’t his transfiguration scene in TVL come across as blatant rape?); maybe it was to remind us that Lestat will always have a streak of evil. Whatever the reasoning, to me, these parts are undeniably some of the darker ones of the series. 

Have you ever seen someone say these books are horrible? That these characters are horrible, and that they’ve done horrible things? All of them? It may be said lightheartedly most of the times, but in all honesty, it’s very much meant. 

Of course, you can always attribute it to Anne having lost the thread after Queen of the Damned. You can skip over the book (Tale of the Body Thief) if it’s too much for you to take in. And, that’s OK, because while I’m aware these books mean so so much to so many of us, they are only books. I know this is easier said than done, but try not to let it hurt you too much!! But, we’ve all had our ups-and-downs with the chronicles and Anne Rice, and a lot of us can empathize with your heartbreak. Bless her, @monstersinthecosmos even has the tag #the AR lollercoaster dedicated to this. You should take a look through it if you’re ever feeling particularly down and would like a laugh/some company when all that sadness strikes.

But, if it’s just something you’d rather not touch on—that’s completely understandable. You’re not obligated to read any further. You’re always open to leave everything at Queen of the Damned. This isn’t something easy to ignore—to just say, “it’s not canon,” when you accept everything else in that same book as canon. Neither is it easy to come to terms with. Ms. Rice really threw us a curveball with this, huh?

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you feel better soon. And you can always message me (privately or not) if you wanna talk it out some more. You have my full support!! 💜💜💜 

[raebellian]

Classical Music Used in Barbie Films

This is gonna be VERY long, so check it out below the break!

(P.S. If I have missed something or gotten it wrong, please let me know so I can add/fix it!!)

Keep reading

[raebellian]

Avatar ships as the “Baby” meme

rediscovered this meme/joke format

[raebellian]

𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖕𝖊𝖓𝖙 𝖚𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖗 - 𝖘𝖑𝖔𝖙𝖍 | the forever dance (by Raebelle)

"Dance!" he cries in a flurry of feathers and blinding brightness. He raises his thousand burning eyes to the heavens and points his steel sword, cruel and cold as ice, at my feet. "Dance, you shall!"

Lovely, foolish angel—he says it like it's a punishment! But to me, it is quite the opposite.

It’s been a month since the old lady has fallen ill, and for thirty endless days and nights I have slaved over her. As I dream of the time before I had to tend to her and the time when I will no longer have to (it will come, one way or another), she raves on and on about times long gone.

Remember, she says. Remember when I first saw you, and you were at your poor mother's funeral, walking bare-legged behind her straw coffin, and you were wearing those horrible clumsy shoes, not because they were appropriate for mourning but because they were the only pair you had, and they were made by Mother Shoemaker out of old red strips of cloth, and your ankles were bright red, and then I drove by in my old carriage and saw you from the window and felt sorry for you, and I felt so sorry for you that I told the vicar then and there to give you to me and that I would take care of you, and that I would treat you kindly, and that I would make you a pretty little princess, and that I would teach you to read and to sew and to dance like a proper young lady, and then before I knew it you were old enough to be confirmed, and I took you to the town shoemaker and got you those red patent leather shoes…

It is only when she mentions the red shoes that I perk up. Just the thought of them, two touches of scarlet amidst an endless expanse of gray monotony, makes me snap out of my numb daze.

My beautiful shoes wait at the foot of my bed. My feet, as if they have minds of their own (surely they can’t wait to fit themselves into the snug, blood-red patent leather), bring me toe to toe with them. Dropping onto my knees, I ritualistically stroke the smooth, polished leather. From its rich, earthy scent emerges lively music and laughter. A dizzyingly opulent chandelier. Glasses and glasses of champagne. Swirling skirts, flying feet. Dancing, never tiring shoes of red, red, red—

Suddenly the old lady calls for me and my dreams of the ballroom and its eternal dance shatter.

The room smells like dust and decay. Her stringy gray hair encircles her head on the pillow like an ashen halo. As I hastily wipe the flecks of blood and bile from her gaunt face, none too gently, she opens her foul-smelling mouth and raves: Have I been reading my passages? Have I been going to church? Have I been doing my prayers every night, thanking Him—blessed be His name—for all that I have, and been a good little girl?

O God, please let this end soon. I can’t stand her any longer.

I see a letter on the nightstand. It’s an invitation to the Spring Dance, the most exciting event in town all year. Again, I dream of lavish ballrooms and lovely dresses and my beautiful red shoes. I dream of respite, from the old lady and from the day-to-day tedium I just can’t seem to banish. I dream of dancing, dancing, dancing forevermore.

I’m just about to slip the invitation into my pocket when the old lady weakly grasps my hand.

“I’m sorry, dearest. I know what you’ve gone through. As soon as I get better, I promise I’ll work even harder to take good care of you.

Her hands are cold and clammy. My lips curl in disgust. I yank out the pillow from beneath her head and hold it tightly over her face. She is too weak and sickly to put up much of a fight. One two three, one two three—the waltz in my head swells with feverish energy. Then the old lady finally goes limp.

I am free at last.

An angel would say that I’m cruel and callous. That I’m wicked. But I say: has he ever tasted freedom, him with his burdensome wings and halo and robes?

I put on my best dress and twirl in front of the mirror at the foot of the old lady’s bed. The invitation to the dance disappears into my pocket, and my feet—at long last—slip into the red shoes. As I waltz around the empty house, my footsteps are the only sound to break the sepulchral silence besides the distant chiming of the church bell.

The shoes fit perfectly, like they’ll never come off again. As if by magic, they take me out of the house and towards the church, tapping a lively rhythm. I am drunk with pleasure until I run into a blindingly white pair of wings, a knife-sharp halo, and a thousand eyes piercing into me and my red shoes.

He tells me I shall dance, forever and ever and ever. As if it’s a punishment. I laugh and thank him, and I tell him that it’s been a pleasure. I tell him that I am free. I take his hand (though it burns my own) and kiss it. And then I dance on.

My shoes will never come off, and my feet will never stop. I lose myself, shed myself like an old skin. Gone is the poor little girl trudging bare-legged behind her mother’s coffin, gone is the poor little girl forced to sit through endless sermons and lectures, gone is the poor little girl slaving over a sick old lady day and night. There is only her and the red shoes, and she dances in them forever.

[raebellian]

Here's a love poem I put together using only lines from gay books because they are THAT lyrical

In order of appearance:

●Sappho (the title)

●The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

●Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin

●Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

●Tin Man by Sarah Winman

●Ash by Malinda Lo

●Prince's Gambit by C. S. Pacat

●A Gathering of Shadows by V. E. Schwab

●The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

●Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

●The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

●This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

●Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman

●The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

●The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

●Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by B. A. Sáenz

●The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

[raebellian]

I know it's a barrier of self-doubt I need to break through, but when I post writing and don't get feedback, I feel like an actor performing to an empty house. I just lose motivation and don't want to carry on.

I know they say "write for yourself", but it's like I need the validation of others to feel that my work is worthy to even exist.

Advice please, anyone?

[raebellian]

he's entirely correct

[raebellian]

The Uncanny Valley is not a byproduct of human psychological processes. It is an evolutionary trait. There was a time when our ancestors met creatures that looked almost human. And it was best to stay away from them.

[raebellian]

You have been sentenced to death in a magical court. The court allows all prisoners to pick how they die and they will carry it out immediately. You have it all figured out until the prisoner before you picks old age and is instantly transformed into a dying old man. Your turn approaches.

[raebellian]

you can explain why it’s important for aspiring authors to read published books and not just fanfiction without condescending to fanfiction authors/readers and implying it’s inherently of lesser quality

[raebellian]

A Vampire’s appearance will shift to resemble that which they feed on the most. Trust not the ones who are visions of human beauty - for friends they are not. Instead seek those with a monstrous countenance such as that of rats, lizards or even insects because those are our true friends.

[raebellian]

So, you want to restart your WIP…

We’ve all been there. We’ve all stopped in the middle of something and realised it isn’t working, or looked back on an old project and seen new potential with a different premise. Here’s a quick guide on what to do.

Consider if you really want to start again, or if you can simply edit and tweak what you’ve already done. What you see as a major flaw may stem from a minor issue, or can be fixed in the second draft.

Read through your WIP in full, and highlight any lines, plot points, or quotes that you think can be reused. You may have nothing, you may have enough to use as a framework.

Do NOT delete your original, no matter what. Use that as your reference. What did/didn’t work? What did you have the most fun writing? Let this guide you.

In the same way, don’t cling to the past too tightly. Let things go, even if you’ll miss them.

Don’t feel intimidated! This is a fresh start! Your story is yours to tell, and you should tell it in the way you’re most passionate about.

Think about who’s story you want to tell. Is the backstory more interesting? Could a side character present the narrative better? What if other characters were telling the same story?

Write a few draft concepts using any new ideas you have, trying to vary the genre and style. This should help you figure out which route you want to take with your rewrite!

Understand why you wanted to restart, and identity ways to prevent it the next time around.

Switch to an entirely different medium. Try a novella, a script, short stories, whatever. Test out every idea you have.

If you know exactly what you want to redo it as, just go for it! Don’t worry about the integrity of your old plot, or making those drastic changes, just write the new idea as soon as you can and don’t look back or doubt yourself.

Now go and remake some magic!

[raebellian]

[raebellian]

Writing With Color – Featured Description Posts

Some of our most useful posts on describing People of Color, all in one place.

Words to Describe Hair

Words to Describe Skin Tone

Describing Asian Eyes

Describing Wide Noses

Describing Undead & Sick Dark Skin

Describing POC and Avoiding Caricatures

Describing Unnatural Skin Tones: Green

Describing Unnatural Skin Tones: Jaundice

Indicating Race of Characters (FAQ Questions #3-4)

Not Indicating Race at All – Note: You Probably Should

Praising Beauty Without Fetishizing

Olive Skin, Race and Ethnicity

Specific Description Posts  

Describing Skin as Swarthy (Spoiler alert: it’s sketchy)

Describing East Asian Skin as Porcelain (Spoiler alert: it’s also sketchy)

Describing Skin as Russet (Spoiler alert: it’s alright)

Describing PoC as Exotic (SA: it’s othering)

Describing Skin as Ebony (SA: it’s cliche)

Describing Natural Hair as Cloud-Like (SA: it’s cool)

Describing Black Hair as Unkempt (SA: it’s offensive)

Describing Black Hair as Kinky (SA: it depends)

Describing Skin as “Dark as Night” (SA: it also depends)

Describing Skin as Like Dirt or Soil (SA: See above)

Describing Skin as just “Dark.” (SA: it’s vague)

Describing Black Hair as “Nappy” (SA: it ain’t recommended)

Describing Skin With Food (SA: it’s a no-no)

–WWC

[raebellian]

tonight’s twitter discourse:

this thread (all their takes after the initial tweet are bad too)

https://twitter.com/benedict_rs/status/1349954211358924800

i don’t know if they wanted to become a more popular writer or podcaster but they’re getting ratioed by the minute. 

i’ve been finding new authors to follow by digging in the quote-retweets

[raebellian]

i’m in my own fandom. when will the author release new content