Trying To Loosen Up

Trying to loosen up…

I’d have liked more time with you.” “A lot more time. Stephen, you’re the only spark of light I’ve encountered in this whole vile country. You’re extraordinary. You’re valuable. And I don’t want you to die because of me.

The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles (via drchristineputnam)

Stories have a way of changing faces. They are unruly things, undisciplined, given to delinquency and the throwing of erasers. This is why we must close them up into thick, solid books, so they cannot get out and cause trouble.

Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (via victoriousvocabulary)

There must be blood, the girl thought. There must always be blood. The Green Wind said that, so it must be true. It will be hard and bloody, but there will be wonders, too, or else why bring me here at all? And it’s the wonders I’m after, even if I have to bleed for them.

Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (via poolofjello)

where a little old lady owns a bodega and her customers are frequently vigilantes, anti-heros and morally ambiguous mutants and phd students. and they are all sweet as pie to her. they listen to her talk about her grandchildren and her cat. these hardened criminals become the sweetest ppl with mrs. lo who gets help stocking her shop by like someone who has no qualms hanging a drug dealer out a window. 

so like mrs. lo’s shop is on an unwritten list of places that aren’t robbed. until like some super-villain has the gall to have a throwdown in mrs. lo’s neighbourhood and now the hero has a group of lawless vigilantes showing up to help them just because mrs. lo is in the hospital with a broken arm. and like two of the most sinister vigilantes are now running her shop for her while she recuperates 

“so who do i have to kill?”

“what, they eat planets whole -”

“so i need a bigger gun, fine, lemme call some people”

“what the fuck-”

“hey, language, kids play in this street. i thought you were a hero”

LdyEnki reads Anger is a Gift Chapters 5 and 6

The continuing adventures of LdyEnki being unprepared for Mark Oshiro’s “Anger is a Gift”. 

Chapter 5:

Being a librarian influences my priorities so I’m not sure anyone else had the “Wait. What?!” reaction I did about the library inventory being sold off.  So please excuse me a moment as I say, “They did what!?  Why!?” 

Now weeding out books and other material from a library is important for keeping a library current, relevant and helps prevent books from being lost and overwhelmed by no longer active materials.  I’m not going to go into my defense of weeding diatribe here, though if anyone wants to talk about it I’m happy to.  But if a book (or several copies of a book) in the library is still being used in a classroom, you don’t weed out that book.  You weed out the book that the teacher who left for a different job 5 years ago used in their classroom.  I want to know who sold off “most of the library inventory” and why.

Moving on to the much more plot relevant scene with the girl having her locker searched.  To quote Mark, “Fuck.”  I can see the shape forming of the coming conflict, Officer Hull, an abusive bully, targeting these kids.  Moss won't be able to avoid him forever.  I’m glad there are some good teachers who care in all of this. 

Chapter 6:

Alternate Title: “Or why I love Moss, his Mama and their whole found family.”

Chapters 1 and 2 are here.

Chapters 3 and 4 are here.