*long-suffering Sigh*

We Told Nothing But Lies (But You Forgave Us Anyway)

A short piece inspired by @hiraya-rawr's sagau works but mainly references her last resort fic.

Captured and cornered

The crowd calls for your head

It was a mere panicked decision 

One you didn't even mean to make

Secrets spill from your lips

Ones you've discovered

Read and remembered

From the time before all this

Stories and promises 

Ones that shouldn't be known

All splayed out before them

Like a dam burst open

You can not stop the flow

That tumbles out

It splatters on their faces

Staining them ink and shadow

Send ice through their veins

Freeze them in place

A mirror gaze of stars 

That flicker in your blood

Blurring out your edges

Till the shimmer shine of nebulae

Are all that haloes your head

And envelopes your soul

Doesn't it hurt?

That all you're known for

Are stories blown out of proportion 

And never truly for yourself?

You have survived

But can you pay the price?

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.

I think that one thing people fail to understand is that unsolicited literary criticism coming from an online stranger who is reading with no knowledge of what the authors intended goal is, is not going to be received the same as say: the authors beta reader or friends who know what the authors intended goal and has the sufficient knowledge and input to help the author reach that desired outcome.

"But I'm only trying to be helpful" How do I know you have the knowledge and literary skill for you to be able to actaully do that when we don't know each other and you are essentially a stranger to me? Are you applying this criticism based out of personal biased experience and desire to see the story or characterization be driven in another direction or tweaked, or do you know the author's intentions for the character? If the story is incomplete, are you basing your criticism of a character on the incomplete narration with only partial information available of them or are you building up a report until the story's completion? Did the author provide you with the information needed to make a fully informed criticism?

Have you discussed with the author what their plans are or are you assuming them based off the narration, especially if the narration is proven or implied to be unreliable or missing key points of the plot? Are you unbiased enough to help them reach their desired outcome for the characters and story regardless of your personal feelings towards the characters/antagonists and setting? Can you handle being told your specific input isn't wanted because you're a reader and/or have no written anything relating to their genre or topic? Do you understand and respect that the author's personal experiences might influence their writing and make it different than how you would have done it personally? Do you understand if an author only wants input from a specific demographic relating to their story?

If it's for fanfiction or other hobby media, are you holding a free hobby to a professional standard? Are you trying to give criticism because you feel like the author has produced 'subpar job performance' of their fic? Are you viewing their work as a personal intimate outlet or something that must conform with mass media? Are you applying rules and guidelines when the fic is shared for simple sharing sake? Is your criticism worded appropriately and focused on the parts where the author has requested input on rather than a general dismissal and or disapproval?

Have you put yourself in a place where you assumed you have the input needed for the story to evolve better, or have you asked what the author needs and what they're having trouble with? Can you handle having your criticism rejected if the author decides their story doesn't need the change and not take it as a personal offense against your character? Are you crossing that boundary because you think you are doing the author a favor? Are you trying to be helpful, or do you just want to be?

I think sometimes when people hear authors go 'please don't give me unsolicited writing advice or criticism' they automatically chalk it up to 'this author doesn't want ANY constructive feedback on their stuff at all' and not "i already have trusted individuals who will help me with my writing goals and- hey i don't know you like that, please stop acting so overly familiar with me'

Monstrous Devotion (It Will Devour You Whole)

Another piece for @m1d-45. It was meant to be short but as you can tell, got out of hand.

Desperation 

You remember it well

How it sparked your blood

And got it to run

How it tasted of bitter and tang

Much like the sting of blood

You remember how it kept you alive

Made your nerves so sensitive 

It prickled with every breeze

Every slight disturbance

How it kept your sleep light

And your dreams even lighter

Even now as you watch

The archons who adorn your body

With the most precious of gems

And the rarest of treasures 

They who once tried to shed your blood

To water their blade

You see the warriors of each nation

Who tried to rend your soul from your body

Attend your every need 

Degrading themselves as objects

As lesser than human

To try and exalt you higher

You feel more than you hear

As you watch once beloved characters

Stain themselves with sin

Desperation of their own

Rising to the surface

Their desperation is monstrous 

Predator to prey

Your own desperation has not waned

It has only grown

Writhing under your skin

Fueled by fine jewelry 

Silken clothes

And bloodstained manic smiles

Your forgiveness is not sincere

It is learned

Through a lifetime of pain

Of a death so vivid

You're desperate to stay alive

You are willing to do anything

But what once kept you safe

Will now be the one to deal a fatal blow

You already know this

Alarm bells ringing

With every minute move

But it's far too late

You're stuck in puppet motions

That are to never cease

Until the life drains from your eyes

Desperation made you learn to survive

And now that very same lesson shall be the one to end you

Spider Web Lies Of A Thousand Mirror Eyes

Winding corridors of dust covered shelves, missing the little hatchling who wandered the halls. Wispy smoke reaches out, a frail finger tipping a half finished book into waiting hands. The ink has long dried, but the memories have not, so they take up a brush. Swirling the fine bristles into the ink, staining the pages with shadow and tar. Another name, another chapter, one more world to add to the archives. They set the brush down, dabbing away the ink with a damp cloth as they gather stardust into their arms, weaving it into the image of a spider's web. Engraving it into the leather covers with sunglow pins, the name shimmers in the faint light of the lanterns. A moment of hesitation before they turn, the doors silently closing behind them. Distant, ephemeral stories await their arrival, and a vast archive trapped in time can always wait just a little bit longer.

"I don't want to read this" is totally valid.

"This is disgusting to me" is totally valid.

"I don't want to read this because it is disgusting to me" is totally valid.

"I don't think anyone should be allowed to read or write this because it is disgusting to me" is authoritarian.

The Myth Of A Haven (Even Rumors Tell A Truth)

Within a sanctuary Far from home A place only the dreamers know A paradise for the lost Weary and wandering Not a human soul you may find Though the keepers may show A being adorned with stars A cloak of fresh sage green Draped lightly upon his shoulders He offers a quiet place to rest To forget the woes of reality And perhaps your eyes are drawn To the markings left on his skin Bruises reminiscent of teeth Perhaps you'd offer a hand In return for his kindness Though he will wave you off every time He bears them with pride A blessing from his god Only earned after hours of worship Something you may never understand The price of devotion The reward of adoration The thrill of leaving your fate In the grasp of someone else Perhaps it is not for you But in the end What does it matter You do not belong in their world Soon you'll be nothing more Then the ghost of a memory That walked the lands Where he shall live Your paths are fated to diverge So listen well And heed this story of mine Leave them be For you and I are chalk and dust And they are a binary star Adrift in a universe far from ours

Remorse Is Not Forgiveness (And Forgiveness Won't Bring Them Back)

@m1d-45 A little piece inspired by some of your writing. I hope you'll like it!

The quiet fade to black

Waking to familiar scenes

Of an unfamiliar world

Only seen through fragile screens

The world croons in welcome

Though its sentiments aren't shared

As the people call for execution 

As beloved characters turn their blade

The ones built from ashes to glory

Now set their hunt upon thee

Run and hide

The clock is ever ticking

You will always be caught

So face your death with dignity 

Your blood runs starshine bright

Only seen in the burning light

But it's far too late

Your eyes shimmer and glaze 

Blank and dull and unseeing

Life fades from your body

Corpse cooling in the shade

There is no time for regret

No time for forgiveness 

Sunbeam golden chains bind them tight

As prayers fall from their lips

As the world mourns around them

Their mistake is unforgivable

And thus they must pay the price 

The Universe Will Always Love You (For You Have Always Been One Of Us)

Little lost starchild Fear not the violent nights Nor the evanescent days A blade of shining jade Shall keep you from harm Underneath the stars Which you once called home Unwavering devotion Shackled by sin A silent plea many hear Though few will ever heed A curse born of a wretched world It stains a fated soul inky black An unwanted destiny Set for a beloved bond Watch the realm crumble to ash Mortal and god fall alike Little world eater Pay no heed to this world It has done you no favors Listen to our call Dearest light Coalesce the taint And devour it whole A false godlings command Means very little in our eyes Those who interfere Who dare to chain our children Shall be brought to ruin Take your treasure and run He will be safe with you Anything to keep you happy Our beloved starchild

my dream as a fanfic writer is to write a story which people want to talk to me about and send asks about afterwards and discuss things the characters did and the symbolism and meanings behind certain lines and I'll be all "hehe thanks" but irl I'll be in literal tears because I wrote something that means something to someone