“The way the rain falls outside of my window, deafening and tranquil—each individual splatter leaves me breathless. Listening to the rain for hours can bring a sense of peace and belongingness I never knew existed. And even during those moments, where the sky creates chaos, when the clouds heavily cry, is where I find my sanity. In the small moments of rain is when my mind remains silent and my emotions become ragingly loud.”

S.V//Rainy Days//@sempiternal.poet on Instagram

For someone who has typed upwards of 200,000 words for their novel, taken advanced English all their life, has a family of multigenerational English teachers, and has a formidable library in their room, I sure can’t spell worth a damn.

I spent a length of time I will not disclose cursing spell-check, more confident than I had any right to be that “paid” was actually spelled “payed.”

Vigaro Modern Classics 40th Editions - celebrating female writers ✨

I wrote a piece for the BuzzFeed Community Summer Challenge and I would really appreciate the support of just clicking the link. The post is my first attempt at a movie review/sarcastic and honest criticism of Arab American stereotypes.

Stop Palestinian hate.

Palestinian Girl Watches Adam Sandler’s You Don’t Mess With The Zohan So You Don’t Have To.

Wash Day

Steve Roger’s x Poc reader

You screamed in frustration, struggling to pull your wet brush through the curls at the crown of your head. The water from the shower head rushed over your shoulders almost in consolation. You thought your hair could wait a few extra days - the past week at work was hellish, leaving no time for a good hair wash.

Apparently you thought wrong as you approached two hours of detangling in the shower. You wanted to cry and thoughts of shaving your head entered your mind when you heard a knock at the door.

“You alright baby? I heard you scream.” Steve’s voice reached your ears. You sighed, “I’m alright. Just frustrated.” A silence fell.

“Mind if I come in?”

Steve was the sweetest and he’d do anything for you, you knew this. But was he prepared for the mess that was your hair? You tried once more to get the detangler through your roots. The brush was stuck. Your answer was clear.

“Please come help me,” your words of defeat welcomed Steve into your tiny bathroom. He tentatively opened the door, peeking at you from behind it before fully emerging. He blinked at you in confusion.

“What’s the matter honey?” His voice was soft. You simply pointed at the brush stuck in your hair, dropping your chin so he could fully see the tangles. “I can’t do it anymore. My arms are tired.”

He chuckled. “May I?” You only nodded. He gently freed the brush and ever-so carefully began to detangle your matted ends, running his fingers through and following with the brush.

It wasn’t Steve’s first rodeo. He’d helped you on many of your wash days when the hair gods simply would not shine light upon you. He hummed, happily helping you detangle and define.

You spent the rest of your day in the bathroom, handing Steve conditioners and combs and feeling his delicate hands in your curls.

“All done?” He asked after the last leave-in was used and the last section was combed through. “Mhm all done.” You stood, stepping out of the tub to look in the mirror. Your hair was bouncy, soft, and beautiful thanks to your sweet boyfriend. You felt a weight leave your shoulders and you turned, draping your arms around Steve so you could kiss him. He laughed, squeezing your body close.

Sparring Partners

Bucky Barnes x reader

“Hey sweetheart,” a smooth voice, thick with emotion, drifted over your shoulder. His shadow covered your body and you breathed in his familiar scent.

“James Buchanan Barnes. Good to see you finally made it to the gym,” you turned, giving the former winter soldier a smile. His chuckle made your ears heat up. “I was here this morning. Where were you, beautiful?”

You scoffed. “Flattery won’t save you from this beating.”

Predictable, slow, easily deflected - Bucky was always teasing you for your fighting style. So when you challenged him to a sparring match, the man had to try his best not to laugh. You, on the other hand, were more determined than ever. This fight was yours.

“So,” he began wrapping his flesh hand, “no handicaps? You want the metal arm off to make it easier?” His joking tone was driving you up the wall. All you wanted was to show this pretty boy that you were as strong as any Avenger, and that thought alone kept your jaw from clenching.

You chuckled back, keeping your expression calm. “I can handle some metal.” You stared, watching his fingers work, until he was finally done and ready to take you on.

You stepped onto the mat, bouncing on the balls of your feet. He walked forward, shoulders squared and stance wide. You brought your fists up to your face and waited, studying.

He lunged forward throwing two quick punches. You side-stepped, throwing your back leg into his chest. His hands came down lightning fast, grabbing you by the knee. He laughed.

“Still so predictable, dollface.”

Your jaw worked in frustration as you attempted to maintain balance on one leg. Bucky could almost hear the wheels turning. He thought back to all the time you both spent on these mats, sparring until bruises formed. Recently he had been worried. You were spending less and less time in the gym with him, making him think his teasing had landed one too many blows.

Little did Bucky know but you were spending your time with another Avenger on the mats.

An idea finally came to mind and you braced yourself, taking in a strong breath before launching off your free leg and wrapping your thighs around Bucky’s neck. He hit the mat in shock, releasing your knee and giving you more leverage to choke the massive man out.

You squeezed your legs together with all your strength as your sparring partner tried to escape your hold. Finally, you felt the two taps of victory on your thigh and you released Bucky from his cage, coughing and sputtering in irritation.

“That’s a Widow move!” He gasped in surprise. “Yep.” You let the word pop, unable to contain your smile. You skipped over to your gym bag and gleefully unwrapped your knuckles, basking in the irritated gaze of Bucky Barnes.

“You cheater,” he whispered.

“Sore loser, huh champ?” You smiled, tossing the bag over your shoulder and sauntering out of the gym.

Catch me if you can

Miles Morales x reader

It’s not everyday that someone steals from Spiderman.

It’s not everyday that someone steals from Spiderman and manages to get away.

It’s not everyday that someone steals from Spiderman, gets away, and leads the hero on a chase across New York City.

But here you were.

Happy Tuesday.

“Hey! Give it back already!” Spiderman’s light voice flew past your ear along with his swinging body.

“Make me!” You taunted and turned a corner, laughing at his exclamations as he barely stopped himself from slamming into a wall.

“Why do you want my web shooter anyway?” His voice was above now. You looked up to see the red and black suit jogging on the side of a building, parallel to the ground.

Of course he could stick to the side of buildings. You picked up the pace yelling, “finders keepers!” over your shoulder. 

Spiderman, who was far too focused on your sarcastic words and sprinting figure, ran out of building. He let out a small scream when he found himself falling, and a louder scream when he tried to shoot a web with his right hand only to find he was still falling. Adapting to using one web shooter was more of a struggle than he could’ve imagined. He was beyond irritated now and was more determined than ever to catch the thief.

“You didn’t find it! You swiped it off me!” He caught up to you, clumsily slinging his body through space with one arm. You were panting hard, barely able to answer back. 

“So?”

You were going to drive him crazy. Insane. Completamente loco.

“So? So?! What do you mean, so?! So give it back! It’s mine!” He swung faster. He could almost reach you if he just-

“Catch me if you can!”

You turned another corner and followed a group of men into an office building. Spiderman was left, once again, floundering in mid air, unable to complete the sharp turn. He cursed beneath his breath, carefully finding the ground and running after you.

hey, so… I need help

I wrote a short story for a competition. it’s the first time I’ve openly shared original stories (something other than fanfic) and when I shared it… it bombed. it was super scary and vulnerable to post it and when almost nobody saw it, it kinda broke my heart.

so, tumblr, who values young writers who just want to fucking go somewhere in life with their dreams can you help me out and read it? Or share it? it would mean literally everything to me. My friends don’t really wanna share it (or read it but whatever) but I worked so hard on it.

please?

It’s called Skyfall. It’s not very long. but I’m proud of it and I don’t wanna give up on it. Thank you

Our September preview showcases stories of familial dysfunction from the brilliant Natalia Ginzburg and Susan Taubes. The beloved Italian author considers the strained relationships between parents, children, and siblings, while Taubes’s Divorcing, out of print for over fifty years, takes up the collapse of a marriage and a sense of self.

Susan Taubes, Divorcing

Sophie Blind is divorced—and not merely from her husband but from herself, as her own memories and emotions seem increasingly remote. In luminous fragments, the narrative flits from New York to her childhood home of Budapest, considering her parents’ divorce alongside her own. Fans of Renata Adler and Elizabeth Hardwick, take note: this dreamlike novel from 1969 is a forgotten precursor to their lyrical work in the ’70s. Taubes, a close friend of Susan Sontag, committed suicide at forty-one soon after its publication.

Natalia Ginzburg, Valentino and Sagittarius

From the celebrated author of Family Lexicon comes these two novellas of dysfunctional family life. In Valentino, a sister tells the story of her doted-upon brother, who upends his family’s expectations when he suddenly marries an ugly but wealthy older woman and begins a secret affair with her male cousin. In Sagittarius, a daughter and her hypercritical mother move to the suburbs, where she becomes obsessed with impossible dreams of opening an art gallery.

quote / excerpt from Captivated by Katerina Love

Novel due to release in 2021

www.novelsbychapter.com

Sometimes heartbreak isn’t experienced just from losing a lover; sometimes it’s at 3 in the morning and you miss your best friend that you don’t talk to anymore, sometimes it’s when you see a picture of a place you used to live in but you’re very far from it now, sometimes it’s from the stories and poems you read and hear about or when you miss the taste of a home-cooked meal. The human heart is so strong yet so fragile because although it is made of muscle we see and hear and listen and feel and love a bit too much about everything.

It’s harder to take the easier path. When you’re living in a society that encourages grind culture. it’s harder for people to choose the easier path because we’re afraid of how society will view us as ‘weak’. But just because you took the easy way out doesn’t mean that you’re giving up; sometimes taking the easy way out means being kind to yourself and putting yourself first, it means patience to gain the strength to do what you want.

Because everything changes. Nothing stays the same for long. The minute you’re used to something, the minute you think, “oh, this is how life is,” life finds a way of surprising you. You never know what life is gonna throw at you. And you have two choices: Run from it… or run at it.

~ colorfulbiscuithandsdiplomat

stillness brings out the world’s inner most secrets.

a room that once was ours now stands empty in the lonely hours. there’s no more me, or you; no sun, or moon. just an empty room that once was ours.

Lessons from a flower

A flower fulfills its purpose by simply existing, it sprouts to life, blossoms and withers when its time has come-so should you follow in his suit. You are born into this world and you grow, you exist until you can no longer do so. You exist and that’s more than enough… That is the only lesson that a flower should teach you.

“Injustice is in the natural order of things and I must begin to accept this fact.”

(Chapter V)

-Alessia Palmieri; The Chosen One

Fifth chapter out now on Wattpad.

“We angels do not need to sleep, much less to eat or drink, but sometimes we do it anyway for pure pleasure. The nights, therefore, for the guardians who watch over their protégés, when the latter are at home to sleep, represent the foundation of hours of reflection, reading, writing and intellectual growth.”

(Chapter V)

-Alessia Palmieri; The Chosen One

“Soon after, Eva also arrives, wearing her Greek female tunic, decorated like mine. Her wavy hair falls on her shoulders like tongues of fire and illuminates her entire slender figure, like a classical statue. I imagine her coming out of the Parthenon, in the role of a queen. She is beautiful to say the least. May the Olympian Gods be with her.”

(Chapter IV)

-Alessia Palmieri; The Chosen One

Fourth chapter out now on Wattpad.

“I have tried to suppress these strange feelings, this sympathy towards her, but the efforts have been in vain. I am a stranger to this kind of emotion. I have never felt anything for mortals other than pain for their cruel actions that lead to self-destruction, so it is hard for me to understand what makes her so different in my eyes.”

(Chapter IV)

-Alessia Palmieri; The Chosen One

Third chapter out now on Wattpad.

“I do not want to exaggerate, but I do not think I have ever seen a human being with such harmonious features.”

(Chapter III)

-Alessia Palmieri; The Chosen One

Second chapter out now on Wattpad.

“The noises had already faded in my mind for a while and now peace awaits me. There is nothing left for me. Waiting for me, only the darkness.”

(Chapter II)

-Alessia Palmieri; The Chosen One

First chapter out now on Wattpad.

“It was a cold winter day. I remember it like it was yesterday, and if I close my eyes, I can still feel it on my skin. I do not have many clear memories of those years, but this one would be impossible to forget.”

(Chapter I)

-Alessia Palmieri; The Chosen One

[Chinese poetry tag] 你是人间四月天 You are the April of this world - 林徽因 Lin Huiyin

Today we will be exploring a poem by one of my favourite historical figures and role models, 林徽因 Lin Huiyin. Born in 1904, Lin Huiyin was a renowned architect, historian, poet and intellectual who played a huge part in the restoration of Chinese cultural heritage sites and the design of the national emblem of the P.R.C.

I know many poems by her off by heart - she’s one of the few people who has successfully managed to fuse together the structures and tempo of English poetry and prose, with the ambiguous and emotive vocabulary of the Chinese language.

This is exactly what her close friends loved about her – Wilma and John K Fairbanks admired her for living on a “kind of double cultural frontier,” and facing the problem of “the necessity to winnow the past and discriminate among things foreign, what to preserve and what to borrow.”

She is probably best known for this poem below, called “You are the April of this world”, written in 1934. It is widely interpreted that the poem was written to either commemorate the death of 徐志摩 Xu Zhimo, another Chinese poet whom she had a whirlwind romance with in the UK, or the birth of her son (latter more likely from my perspective).

你是人间四月天

我说 你是人间的四月天；

笑响点亮了四面风；

轻灵在春的光艳中交舞着变。

你是四月早天里的云烟，

黄昏吹着风的软，星子在

无意中闪，细雨点洒在花前。

那轻，那娉婷，你是，

鲜妍百花的冠冕你戴着，

你是天真，庄严，

你是夜夜的月圆。

雪化后那片鹅黄，你像；

新鲜初放芽的绿，你是；

柔嫩喜悦，水光浮动着你梦期待中白莲。

你是一树一树的花开，

是燕在梁间呢喃，

——你是爱，是暖，

是希望，

你是人间的四月天！

Translations (by me)

You are the April of this world

I say, you are the April of this world;

Your laughter ignites the winds hither and thither;

Tinkling and dancing to the brilliant lights of spring.

You are the soft haze of April mornings,

Dusk blows the mellowness of the breeze,

The stars glittering subconsciously, fine rain drops sprinkle like wine amid the flowers.

That gentleness, gracefulness, is you,

It is you wearing a radiant crown of a hundred flowers,

You are innocence, dignity,

You are the full moon night after night.

Ivory swathes after melted snow, is like you;

New shoots of verdant green, is you;

Tender joy, the sparkling ripples carry long awaited white lotuses of your dreams.

You are the trees that bloom,

The swallows that chitter between the roof beams,

—— you are love, warmth,

Hope,

You are the April of this world!

This is the cover of my first novel!! I’m so excited! It’s a Dark Fantasy book and comes out on May, 2022. Hope you can help me spread the word :D

Synopsis:

Long ago there were six species: the Shadows, Gods, Beasts, Dragons, Humans, and Rebels. The humans locked them away to gain power over the world. When a nihilistic, Mexican young adult girl is summoned into the world beneath our own she discovers her true power and purpose alongside The Iron Fists who are dead-set on overthrowing the overlord who terrorizes them. Her lies get her in the door, but it is her resilience and growth that makes her essential to the cause. Devastation and death expose the nature of each character’s soul as some rise to greatness overcoming otherworldly challenges, mystical curses, and their status as underdogs while others reveal their true colors and betray the ones they claim to love.

When someone (who doesn’t write) complains about how hard it is to write something:

When that character isn’t quite turning out how you wanted: