Latest Posts by gentlepages - Page 3

a year (or so) of fics, in retrospect

once every handful of years i remember to look back at the collection of projects i’ve finished recently and to simulate a critique as if i’m an art school student — and also as if i’m the haunted teacher’s assistant who wants to be gentle on the prof’s behalf but actually hates your work and also i am the other students who have been sitting there for seven hours straight and can’t offer much more except say, “it’s fine.” a one-man critique day, all parts played by me. 

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ON PURPOSE, I'M GOING TO LOVE YOU ON PURPOSE

Jenny Slate // Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue // Pleiades, Anne Carson // Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo // @oriley42 and @earth167 (and a half) on Tumblr // Jodi Picoult from The Book Of Two Ways // The Night Vale, Episode 100, The Toast // Adam Melchor, I Choose You // Kierston White, The Chaos of Stars

That C.S. Lewis quote about being "old enough for fairy tales again" is really popular in this section of tumblr, but I think I've hit an opposite stage where I'm old enough for realism again. As a teenager in English class, realism seemed like the boring, baseline option that limited your imagination to only the dullest parts of daily life. If I wanted real life, I'd just live it! Stories should give us something bigger and brighter and more exciting!

But as I get older, I'm starting to understand that realism isn't about limiting yourself to the real world, it's about appreciating it. It's about noticing and caring about those tiny details in life. It's about looking at the seemingly ordinary and unexciting people and saying that their stories are worth telling, too. There's a beauty in gazing upon this world in delicate detail and drawing out those fine shades of nuance that you don't notice in the bustle of actually living life. Realism lets you slow down and recognize that our world has wonders, too, and they don't all have to be big and flashy to be worth our attention.

Younger me also got the impression that realism was depressing--we don't get happy endings because they're not realistic. And it's true that realism has a greater share of sad endings, but that can be a comfort. As you grow up, you have more and more experiences tell you that the happiness of life is buried in a lot of murkier emotions--a lot of turmoil and uncertainty and bad decisions--and realism says that's okay. The story's worth telling even if it doesn't end well, even if people don't rise above their baser natures, even if things are a bit dull. Realism can be happier, in some ways, than those bigger, brighter genre stories, because it acknowledges those murkier imperfections of life and says that they don't erase happiness or make someone's story not worth telling.

Lewis' quote is great, but it's not the whole story. Like Chesterton says, children are fascinated by fairy tales, but the youngest children are fascinated by reality--"A child of seven is excited to hear that Tommy opened a door and found a dragon, while a child of three is excited to hear that Tommy opened a door." Fantasy is a fantastic escape, but like all travel, the point of it is to make us see our own world more clearly when we return home. And that's where realism comes in. Those types of stories aren't about casting off childish fancy and focusing on the grim details of adulthood--they can be about regaining an even more innocent and child-like wonder.

To be loved is to be known; to be seen.

Excerpts Sources:

Is it okay to say this? - Trista Masteer // Blasted - Sarah Kane // Reassurances to Hades - Kristina Haynes // The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - T.J. Reid // My Mother/Madame Edwarda/The Dead Man - Georges Bataille //"The Last Poem in the Book," These Days (Alfred A. Knopf, 1989); Over and over again - Frederick Seidel // My Mother/Madame Edwarda/The Dead Man - Georges Bataille // Adult Children of Emotionaly Immature Parents - Lindsay C. Gibson // She Satisfies A Fear with the Rhetoric of Tears - Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz // My Life Is Pathetic! - Heather Havrilesky

there is no unlived life or alternative reality where everything went right…. there is only here and now what are you going to do with it

sharon van etten, a crime || everything everywhere all at once || (myself) || bush, glycerine || fiona apple, love ridden || eternal sunshine of the spotless mind || salma deera, letters from medea

"James Baldwin, The Art of Fiction No. 78", An Interview by Jordan Elgrably

Life is tragic simply because the earth turns and the sun inexorably risesand sets, and one day, for each of us, the sun will go down for the last, last time. Perhaps the whole root of our trouble, the human trouble, is that we will sacrifice all the beauty of our lives, will imprison ourselves in totems, taboos, crosses, blood sacrifices, steeples, mosques, races, armies, flags, nations, in order to deny the fact of death, which is the only fact we have. It seems to me that one ought to rejoice in the fact of death—ought to decide, indeed, to earn one's death by confronting with passion the conundrum of life.

James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time

“James Baldwin, The Art of Fiction No. 78”, An Interview by Jordan Elgrably

i exist, i exist, i exist

@ryebreadgf // holly warburton // ? // image from pinterest // letters to a young poet by rainer maria rilke

This is so cute T^T

ENHYPEN AS TYPES OF COUPLES

genre: pure fluff

notes: hello! this is my first writing piece and i'm nervous as heck! i really hope you guys enjoy it and feedback is always appreciated <3

☆ HEESEUNG

the chill couple.

sometimes people even forget that you guys are there LMAO.

you guys can be found cuddling on the nearest couch or occupying the living room area just to watch Netflix.

probably the couple that everyone seeks out for advice or comfort since you guys rarely get into fights.

but third-wheeling with both of you is painful because the time spent with each other created a secret language between you two that has people more confused than ever.

summarizing, you two live in your own peaceful bubble.

☆ JAY

the total-opposites couple.

it was quite shocking when you and jay (in totally unexpecting timing) announced that you were a couple.

It was just confusing how two people from completely different sides of the spectrum, came to find each other and fall in love in a sea of far more compatible suitors.

and as much people judge the love you held for jay and vice-versa, you two didn't care at all.

knowing that most of the time, different personalities could crash in the most catastrophic way and end heartbroken. jay and you were the exceptions.

a less cliche way to say "the opposites attract"

in fact, you considered the relationship being the most healthy you have ever been.

the difference of personalities created a satisfying balance that keep you two on your toes.

☆ JAKE

the 'couple goals' couple.

the title already explains it, you and jake are THE couple.

that makes everyone bubble with jealousy by the simple act of lacing your fingers together, bringing each other's favorite coffee, or just having matching lock screens.

jake's phone having a picture of the two of you cuddling, lara jean and peter style!

in general, just making the single crowd wish that they had a dynamic with someone as perfect as you two.

and in some rare cases, even the fellow couples get frustrated with your almost rom-com relationship.

to give an example, jake being the gentleman he is, always chooses to take your shopping bags rather than have you carrying unnecessary weight. which has you flustered and a stuttering mess every time, but we won't talk about that.

couples see this and give their significant other the 'why-won't-you-do-the-same-thing-for-me-you-idiot' look.

☆ SUNGHOON

the best-friends couple.

with sunghoon chaotic energy, it was expected that he would find an even more crazy person to match his energy.

it's always a party when the two of you are around, only the lucky close ones surviving in the loud environment that doubled when you started dating sunghoon.

and although you two go on dates and make things every other relationship does, the first reaction people would have at the sight of you two playfully wrestling, is how cute your friendship is.

don't take it in the wrong way though!

is just not expected that the two people fighting over a product in the candy section of the store are more than strangers really passionate about pepero.

or in this case, having a wrestling match.

you guys should really consider going pro

but after sunghoon cages you below him and plants a soft peck on your lips you can bet on the shocked faces of the people who thought you two were just really close friends.

☆ SUNOO

the adorably affectionate couple.

I don't think it comes as a surprise that the cute ball of light that is sunoo, would have an even cuter relationship with a matching adorable person like you.

although physical touch is ni-ki's love language, the affection shared between you two doesn’t make anyone uncomfortable.

quite the opposite, makes everyone feel the love and happiness that radiates the cupid-struck couple.

the constant happy giggles, and whispered praise can be heard from miles away.

people are so used to it that it literally became a tracking sign used whenever someone wants to locate you two

with the ethereal happily aura that surrounds you two, people can't help but think the same thing every time you two are on eyesight: they’re just the cutest!!

☆ JUNGWON

the destined-to-be-together couple.

okay, i know this as a really cliche trope but I LOVE IT.

you two were always, constantly, regularly, and repeatedly shipped together in the minds of EVERYONE.

friends knew in the back of their brains that you two would be perfect for each other.

and it seemed like the universe was in favor too

because no matter what, you guys were always in each other's life.

in need of comfort after a bad breakup? jungwon is there.

he is in desperate help of a new roommate? oh, look! you are there as well.

fate was constantly playing tricks on you two, that in a certain moment everything fell into place.

and it was like you two were seeing each other in a different light.

because sometime later you moved into jungwon's apartment,

and this time not as a roommate but as a partner.

☆ NIKI

the very-alike couple.

same interests, the same circle of friends, same passion. that's how you came to know niki.

it was a breath of fresh air to meet someone who understands you on such a deep level.

slightly shocking really, niki knows you like the back of his hand, and vice-versa.

you could say the relationship bloomed quite fast, but after spending five hours speaking to the boy you just met at the local cafe, you found yourself longing for his presence and easy aura constantly.

some can call your relationship basic, no opposites attract, no love at first sight or no major plot twist like the cheesy romance movies you two watch in lazy afternoons.

just two people who came to learn about each other and realized the chemistry they have every time their gazes accidentally lock at any social gathering.

simple and effortless, that is how you can describe the heartwarming relationship you have with the boy you came to love.