Steph (starrysteph)

“What are humans without stories, Malka? Do you think it won't take stories to shift the tide of war, to build nations up from the ground? Behind every tyrant is a story that justifies their means; behind every brutalized culture are stories that string generations together like emerald beads. Their stories will have meanings, and we will not forget them.”
― Maddie Martinez, The Maiden and Her Monster

“Ah, but that's the thing about the Yahad and hope. We have always had to have it. I think we are more used to hanging on to it than many are led to believe. To be a Yahad and practice our religion is inherently hopeful, that one day, our people will be free.”
― Maddie Martinez, The Maiden and Her Monster

“The greatest threat to her and her people were those who wielded their beliefs like weapons. Who sought to eradicate those whose beliefs were different from theirs–beliefs that threatened their supremacy.”
― Maddie Martinez, The Maiden and Her Monster

“I’ve thought long and hard about how to tell you this story. If I gave you the truth – about me and my sister, the house and the cold and the hunger – you’d know, but you wouldn’t understand … Every detail that didn’t match your own life would become another sandbag against your fear. When you felt safe enough, different enough, exceptional enough, you would forget.”
― Maria Dong, Aviary