R.M. Brown's Blog, page 9

The Kelpie Pond✨️ Jaimie Whitbread

mirroir:

The Kelpie Pond✨️ Jaimie Whitbread

pitched the concept of “fireman pinup calendar but make it knights” to my straight friend. she…

theartofmadeline:

pitched the concept of “fireman pinup calendar but make it knights” to my straight friend. she called it “very niche” and I just have to disagree

(ps im literally 10 seconds away from making a 2025 pinup knights calendar I guess??)

edit: if you’d like to fill out my form for a knightly pin-up interest check i’d appreciate it :)

queeranarchism:gnetophyte:solarpunkwitchcraft:The point of getting rid of the death penalty isn’t...

queeranarchism:

gnetophyte:

solarpunkwitchcraft:

The point of getting rid of the death penalty isn’t that there are some innocent people on it. The point of prison abolition isn’t that there are some innocent people in prison.

The point is that the state shouldn’t have the power to kill people. The point is that the prison system commits systemic abuses of human rights, doesn’t reduce crime, is deeply racist, and doesn’t take the desires of the victims into account. To argue about whether one individual on death row or with a life sentence is innocent or guilty is just a distraction from the central issues, which is that these institutions are unjust and should not exist

brian stevenson phrased this really well when he said that “The death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit[…] The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do[es the state] deserve to kill?”

There are a LOT of issues where “is there a circumstance where this is the right thing to do?” is not the question we should be asking, but “can we trust the state with the power to do this?” is. And the answer is almost always FUCK NO.

the unfortunate thing abt life is sometimes you Do have to wait for the bus in the rain and if you…

menlove:

the unfortunate thing abt life is sometimes you Do have to wait for the bus in the rain and if you were a specific brand of annoying in 2012/13 this is significant

Edinburgh, Scotland

zou-san:

Edinburgh, Scotland

The illustrations from the Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom Owlcrate special editions.

wesperskanej:

The illustrations from the Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom Owlcrate special editions.

But it wasn’t frivolous at all, Cait thought. To her, it was earth-shaking, and history-making, yet…

ALT

But it wasn’t frivolous at all, Cait thought. To her, it was earth-shaking, and history-making, yet as fragile as a folktale.

Song of the Stag, a sapphic fantasy inspired by Scottish independence and folklore ✨

Available on Ringwood Publishing and other major book sellers.

NaNoWriMo is spitting in the face of working class and disabled people who have been making art…

ayeforscotland:

NaNoWriMo is spitting in the face of working class and disabled people who have been making art since the dawn of time.

It is honestly vile to use social justice language as a shield for genuine criticism of their stance on Generative AI. Get fucked.

Any queer books featuring Scottish main characters, or focusing on Scotland as a setting? Browny points if there’s Scottish gaelic featured!

hmmm… we’ve got The Scottish Boy by Alex de Campi as well as Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton.

I’m not sure if we have any others in our collection yet! the ones below are in our wishlists to purchase in the future though

We Were Always Here an anthology of queer scottish poetryGirl Meets Boy by Ali SmithShuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart

bluenotemagpie:

bluenotemagpie:

hello! Haven't read all of these but wanted to rec the ones I could think of, plus boost in case any of my Scottish pals can think of others:

The Gracekeepers by Kirsty Logan (not exactly set in Scotland, but the author is Scottish & the book is influenced by Scottish folklore) Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart The Cutting Room by Louise Welsh Skin Grows Over by Lucy Elizabeth Allan Sonny and Me by Ross Sayers Out There: An Anthology of Scottish LGBT Writing, ed. by Zöe Strachan Vicky Romeo + Joolz by Ely Percy

also!

Duck Feet by Ely Percy Wain by Rachel Plummer

and Category Is Books is an LGBTQ+ bookshop in Glasgow which might be able to offer additional recommendations over email

Eat your cereal

One of my favourite parts about writing Song of the Stag was inserting little references to Scottish culture within the story. Special mentions go out to the famous ‘it’s legal tender’ debate, David Cameron’s 'balanced settlement’, and a nod to Robert the Bruce’s Queen, but my favourite by far is a reference to the Better Together campaign’s 2014 advert entitled 'The Woman Who Made Up Her Mind’.

ALT

The advert itself became infamous in 2014 for its patronising and misogynistic script centred around a housewife who decides to vote no to Scottish independence. The character bemoans her husband’s sudden interest in the topic, and her patience finally gives out that morning, just before the camera starts rolling, when he brings it up again and she says, 'It’s too early for politics, eat your cereal!’

The phrase became something of a symbol for the way the Better Together campaign tried to tivialise real-life concerns people had with the UK by passing off independence supporters as flag-waving, Braveheart-worshipping lunatics. 'It’s all a load of patriotic guff, just shut up and vote no,’ it seemed to say.

The reference to this line comes into play in Song of the Stag when our main character, Cait, starts to feel sympathy and agreement towards the Storrian Separatist cause, completely contrary to the conservative views held by the residents of her village. She tries to keep her mother’s words - 'it’s too early for politics, lass. Eat your cereal.’ - in her mind as she moves about the city, trying her best to ignore the hardship that the Separatists aim to fix, and the call to revolution in her heart.

Song of the Stag is available now!