Alex Hirsch Going Rogue… King Shit

Dragon Knight by Jian Li

@we-are-knight

@spoonie-living

hell's paradise is a fun story where everybody smiles

SuperMesange on Instagram / Etsy

For those of you who are into moths, here are all the types of moths you will see.

i’m DISABLED, not “differently abled”

today, i mentioned one of my disabilities to an adult i know. i called it a disability, and i assumed the language i used to describe my condition would be respected. instead, this adult said to me “i don’t like to think of them as disabilities, instead think of it as being differently abled.”

my response: i’m going to be disabled whether or not you call me that. what’s so bad about the word “disabled?” antagonising the word “disabled” only demonises disabled people. shying away from the word “disabled” reinforces the shame society indoctrinates into us disabled people. it teaches us to hate ourselves for being disabled, to feel lesser than abled people. it feeds ableism and patronises disabled people.

disabled people should be taught to be proud of their disabilities; we should never be taught to feel shame or self hatred for being something we cannot change. furthermore, why should i want to change my disability? why should i always be wishing for the impossible: for a permanent part of me to be deleted?

instead, let’s celebrate our individuality and differences. let’s accept our disabilities!

Writing romance between characters

A lot of readers like romance, don't they? From romance books to romantic subplots in a fantasy/sci-fi/thriller, we have some sort of romance in the books we read (though not all of them). A lot of times though, we feel the romance is forced and can be extremely unpleasant to watch. Let's discuss some tips about how to write romance properly.

Tension, tension, tension

Tension is key to any romance, whether it be enemies-to-lovers, friends-to-lovers, rivals-to-lovers etc. Some examples are longing gazes, hands brushing each other, wistful gazes, hugs that last a little too long and more! Without tension, the romance just feels will be flat and boring and the readers won't be engaged in it. Please note that for the tension part, the things I listed can be platonic as well! What I mean to say is their reactions, such as them realizing they've caught feelings and now acting differently with each other, wistful gazes at someone they know they can't romance etc. All these actions I've listed in the post can happen platonically, especially for queerplatonic friends etc.

2. Give intimacy

Intimacy is not inherently sexual. It can also be emotional, and when portrayed in books properly, it can be marvellous to watch. Intimacy means being vulnerable with another person, being able to show them baring out their souls to one another, showing that they trust one another. Because if two people can't be intimate or vulnerable with each other, then no, we can't expect them to be in a romantic relationship.

3. Make them great individually

If the characters themselves aren't compelling characters, then we can't expect them to be any better in a romance. If one (or both) of the characters is flat and boring and the very embodiment of meh, then they're also going to be very "meh" in their relationship. Make the character engaging and exciting to watch, whether they're a villain or a hero. To gain some tips on how to write characters properly, check out my post on character writing!

TIP!

I have read this somewhere and I feel it's a really good tip! Use the no-kiss rule. Imagine the couple/ship you're writing. Write them but make sure that they don't kiss. Objectively, can you tell they have feelings for each other? If no, then do better or scrap it. If characters need to kiss to tell that they're in love, then they're not in love. Period.