elusivewriting

[elusivewriting]

Fun fact- my apartment building used to be a highschool back in the 50s

It is EXTREMELY liminal

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traits turned sour

honest - insensitive

persuasive - manipulative

caring - overprotective

confidence - arrogance

fearless - cocky

loyalty - an excuse

devotion - obsession

agreeable - lazy

perfectionism - insatisfaction

reserved - aloof

cautious - skeptical

self loved - selfish

available - distractible

emotional - dramatic

humble - attention-seeking

diligent - imposing

dutiful - submissive

assertive - bossy

strategic - calculated

truthful - cruel

[elusivewriting]

#Knife #Knives #Cuchillo #Faca #Couteau #нож #ナイフ #刀#pisau #سكين

Modern Knife Types / Blade Shapes

For sources: http://sword-site.com/thread/1111/diagrams-modern-knife-types

Sword-Site - The World’s Largest Sword Museum

[elusivewriting]

hey folks, I’m gonna introduce you to two very important fandom terms and they are watsonian and doylist 

they come (obviously) from the sherlock holmes fandom, and they are two different ways of explaining something in a story. say I’m a fan and I notice that, in the original books, watson’s war wound is sometimes in his leg and sometimes in his shoulder. the watsonian explanation is how watson (that is, a person within the story) might explain it; the doylist explanation is how sir arthur conan doyle (a person in real life) would have explained it. 

sherlock explains the migrating war wound by making the shoulder wound real and the limp psychosomatic. the guy ritchie films explain it by having the leg wound sustained in battle before the events of the film and the shoulder wound happen onscreen. the doylist explanation, of course, is that acd forgot where the wound was.

this is very important when we’re discussing stuff like headcanons and word-of-god. I see this when people offer watsonian explanations for something, and then a doylist will say something like “it’s just because the author wrote it that way,” and I see it when a person is criticizing bad writing/storytelling (for example, the fact that quiet in metal gear solid v is running around the whole game in a bikini and ripped tights) and someone comes back with “but there’s an in-story reason why that happens!” (that reason being she breathes through her skin).

there’s nothing wrong with either explanation, and really I think you need both to understand and analyze a text. a person coming up with a watsonian explanation has likely not forgotten that the author had real-life reasons for writing something that way, and a person with a doylist interpretation is likely not ignoring the in-universe justification for that thing. 

but it’s very difficult (and imo often useless, though there are exceptions) to try to argue one kind of explanation with the other kind. wetblanketing someone’s headcanon with “or it could just be bad writing” is obnoxious; dismissing someone’s criticism with “but have you considered this in-universe explanation” is ignoring the point of the criticism. understanding where someone is coming from is important when making an argument; acting like your argument is better because you’re being doylist when they’re being watsonian or vice versa is not.

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Morally grey: A character who does too much bad to be a good person, but does too much good to be a bad person.

Sympathetic villain: A character who is a bad person, but whose backstory/character arc makes you feel sorry for or sympathetic towards them.

Anti-hero: A character who does bad things to achieve a good goal.

Anti-villain: A character who does bad things to achieve a goal that they believe to be good, but is actually messed up.

Just plain annoying: A character who does bad things to achieve a bad goal but has one throwaway line about a hard childhood that is expected to put them into one of the aforementioned categories when in reality it just makes them annoying

[elusivewriting]

Caring for natural (curly) hair in a setting with no access to modern hair products

So it’s the apocalypse. Your curly-haired character is on the run.They find themselves on a sudden adventure in a strange world.  It’s the whatever-eth century and they’re in an environment that doesn’t exactly accommodate curly, coily haired types. 

Either way, manufactured hair products are far and few between, or they’re simply not made for afro hair. Considering how your Black character handles their hair in this environment makes their circumstances more realistic and relatable.

Topics Featured in this Guide:

Hair Products found in Natural Environment

Hair Oils - Benefits and How To Extract

Protective Hair Techniques & Styles

Curly Hair Types & Hair Needs

Hair Routine Samples

Hair Straightening 

FAQ

There is a writing takeaway at the end of each topic. 

Brief descriptions provided after images. Contact me for fully accessible version.

Hair Products found in Natural Environment 

Consider the essential needs of afro hair: water and fat.

Water (or liquid) is essential for nourishing the hair. 

Fat (hair oils, creams, butters) is essential for both growth and protection.

Many curly-haired folks already use natural resources and plants to care for their hair - aka DIY hair-care. So characters concocting their own products should not be a strange concept. (I personally buy most of my natural hair products, and create my own hair masks, protein treatments, and oil blends.)

What they could use would depend on environment, time, and availability. 

Hair Healthy Produce 

Coconut - The all-purpose hair aid with multi forms, from oil to solid cream. Hardens in cold weather; best not to use when environment has freezing temps. Banana - Typically removed after use (hair masks, conditioners) Avocado -  Applied as hair products, masks, and oils. Strawberry - Mashed and applied directly to hair or mixed with oils.

Hair Healthy Proteins, Plants, Fats

Eggs - Hardens when dry. Strong odor. Removed after use. (protein masks) Honey - Pulls moisture from air into hair - avoid during the dry winter! Shea Nuts -  Made into shea butter. All-purpose hair and body care. Flaxseed - Gel made by boiling & straining flax seeds. Many DIY videos online.

Hair Healthy Herbs and Flora

Hibiscus - Sebaceous = oil-producing gland. Flowers crushed into paste or oil. Peppermint - Can rub out oil from leaves. Often used in oil form on scalp. Lavender - Often used as an oil directly applied to the scalp, or brewed as tea. Rosemary - Often combined with olive oil in use with hair; can be used alone. 

More Hair Healthy Herbs and Flora

Aloe Vera - Succulent. Can extract sap directly from leaf and apply like gel.  Burdock - Contains essential fatty acids and phytosterol compounds. Dandelion - Can use the roots, stems, leaves and sap for hair and skin. Rose - Common use is rose water: steep roses in boiling water to create.

Hair Healthy Products (rare or require effort to make/find)

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) - Diluted before use and often washed out after. Bentonite Clay - Aged volcanic ash. Combined with ACV for best activation. Oils - Key component for sealing moisture. See the next discussion. Yogurt - Base of many DIY hair products like masks and deep conditioners.

Oils for Hair 

Oil is a key component to afro hair care. It nourishes and seals in moisture. Let’s discuss common hair oils and extraction methods that could, more likely, be done using homemade or historical equipment. 

Oil Extraction

If oils aren’t readily available to purchase, the person would need to find or create tools to either extract the oil via pressing or heat the nuts or seeds. Consider the basic tools that have been around since ancient times. For example, the mortar and pestle. What creative use can be made out of existing tools in the person’s environment? 

Hair Oils and Benefits  (by potential ease to extract.)

Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado and Grapeseed Oil. 

FYI: These aren’t the only methods or necessarily professional means of extraction. I also left off hair-healthy oils that seemed complicated to extract without high-grade equipment. So, this isn’t an all-inclusive list of oil or methods. 

Natural Hair Product Creation

So what exactly would your character create? Here’s some natural hair products and potential main ingredients. May be used alone or combined. 

Leave-in moisturizers: Plain water, coconut water, rose water

Leave-in creams: (protect/style) honey, shea, aloe vera, flaxseed, flora

Hair Cleansing Conditioner: plant water, coconut, honey, light oils

Hair Rinse/Co-wash: Apple cider vinegar, coconut, brewed tea water

Hair Masks: Mashed fruits, yogurt, proteins (eggs), clay, honey

DIY Recipe Search: Try keywords like “DIY natural hair” + “curly hair” “Afro hair” or search all natural hair products and read over the ingredient list. Try small home business and independent sellers (Like etsy)

More Sources:

15 DIY Hair Recipes for Almost Every Step in Your Regimen

14 Homemade Leave-in Conditioner Recipes

Best DIY Recipes for Naturally Curly Hair

Product Storage:

Most homemade products last everywhere from a few days - weeks

Extend the life of spoil-prone products via the cooling system in the work.

Honey does not spoil. Be mindful if it’s mixed with spoil-prone ingredients.

Oils can usually be kept at room temperature and last a long time.

Keeping a small bit of ready made supply may prove time-efficient. If impossible, they may opt to use products that don’t require much time and effort, and are worth their time to make in small batches or to potentially dispose of after.

Writing Takeaway - Natural Product/Oils Creation  

With just the above compounds, I can see creative naturals being able to create styling products and moisturizing leave-ins, shampoos, conditioners and hair masks.

Do consider the following:

How simple or complex can their regimen be?

Would they rely more on protective hair styles in their situation?

What is the natural environment: what products are accessible?

How will they store products or must they make a new batch each use?

Can items be purchased by craftsmen or found in abandoned locations?

Can they afford to use edible plants if food is scarce? Food scraps and non-edible plants (like the flora) might be what they rely on.

What are their specific hair care needs? -Discussion on this later-

Natural Hair and Styling 

LOC Method as base style

Moisture, sealing in the moisture, and protection are the basic needs for natural hair. The Liquid, Oil, and Cream (LOC) Method, or a variation of the steps, fulfills those basic needs. It can be treated as both a care routine and a style in itself. Personally, if my hair is not in a protective style, I use it every week.

Liquid - Liquid opens hair cuticles to allow moisture to enter hair strands.

Oil - Once cuticles are opened, the oil penetrates hair & seals in moisture.

Cream - Cream further locks in the moisture, and can be used as a styling agent as well to shape and define curls.

Should you use the “LOC method” by name in your work?  

A modern setting? Sure. But don’t assume readers know what it means.

A fantasy setting? Probably not, unless earth and its terms carry over. 

A historical setting? No. It is a newly coined term. 

Protective Hair Styles

Protective hairstyles protect the hair by tucking ends away from the elements. For example, heat, air, hand and fabric manipulation. While not forever solutions (except maybe locs which are a permanent style) there’s many benefits to your character’s wearing them.

Benefits:

Hair growth retention

Saves time styling hair

Helps prevent damage and keep hair healthy

Ideal for any natural (the best style itself may depend on hair type)

Lessens hair’s need and dependence on moisture and hair products

Eliminates some hair maintenance activities (such as detangling)

Considerations:

Hair more difficult to wash and dry thoroughly. 

Dryness (unable to access all tucked away hair to moisturize)

Styles kept in too long accumulates dead skin and product build up.

Uninstalling styles can be time consuming, and should be done gently.

Style gets frizzy from growth overtime and/or getting soaked in water.

Protective Styles Short-term (lasting days to weeks)

Afro puff(s) or bun(s)

Back Tuck or Roll and Tuck

Bantu knots

French roll  

Pompadour

Roller set

Two-strand twists

Wash and go (low manipulation style)

Protective Styles Long-term (lasting weeks to months+)

Braids (endless styles and patterns. Typically smaller braids last longer)

Cornrows

Dreadlocks/locs (permanent style, research the hair care)

Extensions

Flat Twists /Twists

Head wraps and hats (endless wrapping styles, colors and patterns!)

Wigs (unless glued, hair maintained underneath or often put in braids)

Writing Takeaway - Protective Hairstyles

Protective styles are an amazing way to protect the character’s hair and would very likely be the go-to for any natural in an uncertain or fast-paced environment. Just in everyday life they’re highly worn so it would especially be the case! Just remember the character needs to eventually undo whatever protective style they have installed to do some hair maintenance (washing, detangling, etc) and give their strands a rest. Also, even hair in protective styles need some attention.

Curly Hair Type and Associated Needs

Determining your hair type is important to knowing its needs. Certain ingredients work best for certain hair types. However everyone is unique and there are more factors to consider than just curl pattern (Also, most curly folks cross into a mix of hair types). There is hair thickness (width & density) and how much moisture and product your hair absorbs (porosity) to consider as well. 

I will only cover curl pattern and the commonly associated needs here. To learn more about porosity, width, and density check out the FAQ under the read more.

naturallycurly.com is a great resource and is the source for the images, terms, and information provided below. 

Curly Twirly (3A) 

Defined loopy “S” pattern. Curls well defined and springy. Big, loose and shiny. Size: Sidewalk chalk size. Best Products:  Gels and creams with light moisture and curl definition.

Curly Spirally (3B) 

Well-defined, springy copious curls that range from bouncy ringlets to tight corkscrews. Size: Sharpie size. Best Products:  Gels and styling creams with extra moisture and frizz control.

Curly Kinky (3C) 

Voluminous, tight corkscrew curls. Either kinky or very tightly curled, with lots of strands densely packed together. The very tight curls are usually fine in texture. Size: Pencil. Best Products:  Styling creams, butters, and oils. Needs gentle care.

Coily Springy (4A) 

Well-defined “S” Pattern. Tight, coily, and the most fragile curls. Size: Crochet Needle or smaller.

4A Best Products & Tips: Styling creams, butters, and oils. 

Clarify scalp with tea tree or jojoba oil during washes

This hair needs extra moisture and tender care

Be gentle when handling and detangling hair to avoid stress & breakage

Use thick moisturizers like mango and shea butters to maximize styles

Coily Crimpy (4B)  

Less-defined “Z” Pattern. Tight, coily fragile curls. Hair bends at sharp angles.

4B Best Products & Tips:  Styling creams, butters, and oils.

Add moisturizing oils before washing (pre-poo/pre-shampoo) with coconut or castor oil to help retain the natural oils in scalp

Do heat-free styles on stretched hair for maximum definition and less frizz

Air-dry hair whenever possible, or use soft cloth to gently dry.

Terry cloth will strip hair’s natural moisture and cause tension on strands 

Coily Ziggly (4C) 

Tight, coily, fragile curls. Curl pattern won’t clump without styling. Little to no visible definition.

4C Best Products and Tips:  Styling creams, butters, and oils.

Use a cleansing conditioner with slippery elm or marshmallow root

Use a creamy humectant [like honey] as a leave-in to maximize protection

A curl defining custard or gel can stretch the coils safely for styled looks

Read the full guide here: Curly Hair Guide: What’s YOUR Curl Pattern?

Writing Takeaway - Hair type and needs

While hair type is just the start of all the intricacies of natural hair needs, it’s definitely a good start. There are other important parts to consider for real life naturals, but going off from hair type and the commonly associated needs should be enough for a story. (But read the FAQ under the read more to keep learning)

Do not get lost in the details, especially for a story that won’t need to cover tons of it. Learn enough to know what you’re talking about and can describe hair care accurately for situations that would affect hair.

Writing Takeaway - Overall:

You don’t have to be lavish in detail, but acknowledging how hair is handled here and there or in a dedicated section is thoughtful and satisfying to see included. It’s also a neutral way to show race without the use of micro-aggressions or racism. Finding the time and means for proper hair care would be a part of their life and potentially a stumbling block on the adventure, so mentioning how hair is handled during these circumstances is a fine idea. 

It’s also a great means for representation.

–Mod Colette

Additional Info:

The following information will be nestled under the read more:

Hair Routine Samples - One super simple and one complex hair routine 

Hair Straightening - Not ideal to maintain in survival situations, but also was a means of survival and daily living during some historical contexts

FAQ - Would any of this matter during the apocalypse? And what about natural products that attract bugs? Plus more.

Keep reading

[elusivewriting]

me: okay time to jump into the action scene

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: … “SUDDENLY”

[elusivewriting]

Tarot cheat sheet

Major Arcana

The Fool-Beginnings, Risks The Magician- Actions, manifestations The High Priestess- Hidden knowledge, Secrets The Empress- Resources, Abundance The Emperor- Boundaries, Order The Heirophant- Education, Lessons, Unity The Lovers- Love, decisions The Chariot- Progress, determination Strength- Managing situations, endurance The Hermit- Searching, analysis The Wheel of Fortune- Fate, Luck Justice- Decisions, Balance The Hanged Man- Waiting, sacrifice Death- Transformation, Rebirth Temperance- Negotiation, common ground The Devil-Restrictions, Indulgence The Tower-Unexpected failure, breakdowns The Star- Hope and guidance The Moon- Anxiety and deep emotions The Sun- Growth, Recovery Judgement- The past, second chances The World- Success, completion

Minor Arcana

Cups- Water Element, “I feel”- How emotions rule over and work within the meanings of the cards.

Ace- Love, Beginnings Two- Partnerships Three- Celebration Four- Boredom, longing Five- Loss, sadness Six- Peace, reconciliation Seven- confusion, possibilities Eight- Departure, leaving behind Nine- A wish coming true, contentment Ten- Happiness, family Page- Opportunities, Chances Knights- Emotional and dreamy influence Queen- Intelligent and intuitive influence King- Charismatic and Wise influence

Pentacles- Earth Element, “I have”- How possessions rule over and work within the meanings of the cards.

Ace- Money, success, beginnings Two- Decisions, balancing finances Three- Showing talents, chances Four- Stability, hiding Five- Financial loss, chasing Six- Generosity, supporting Seven- Potential with work Eight- Money coming, building success Nine- Comfort, success Ten- Inheritance, something lost Page- An offer Knight- A dependable influence Queen- A genorous influence King- A prosperous influence

Swords- Air Element, “I think”- How thoughts rule over and work within the  meanings of the cards.

Ace-  Success Two- Stalemate Three- Heartbreak Four- Rest, overwhelmed Five- Conflict Six- Leaving conflict behind Seven- Theft of positivity Eight- Restriction Nine- Anxiety Ten- Endings Page- Intelligence, alertness Knight- A opposing influence Queen- An independent influence King- A strong willed influence

Wands- Fire Element, “I desire”- How desires rule over and work within the meanings of the cards.

Ace- News, beginnings, fertility Two- Making plans Three- Travel Four- Freedom, rest Five- Stong opinions, fights Six- Victory Seven- Work, effort Eight- News, attack Nine- Stress, suspicion, strength Ten- Burdened, work Page- A message, understanding Knight- A motivational influence Queen- A creative influence King- An expressive influence

[elusivewriting]

things to normalise

- gay parents - female masturbation - guys showing emotion - they/them pronouns

[elusivewriting]

75% of writing is convincing yourself that your story is worth it

[elusivewriting]

Dear authors: you have to learn the difference between a bad boy and a bastard abuser.

[elusivewriting]

Reblog and you might save someone’s life, especially with all our Black Girls going missing #ProtectBlackGirls #SaveLife

[elusivewriting]

If you ever feel like you must be the most unobservant person in the world, remember: I once spent half a year failing to notice that my new favourite restaurant was a money-laundering front for the Ukrainian mafia.

(I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but in retrospect, the fact that it was always dead no matter the time of day - I think the busiest I ever saw it was five people, myself included - well, that should have been a tipoff. Also, the waitstaff kept calling me “Mr. Prokopetz”, which I had assumed was just part of the restaurant’s gimmick, but given that “Prokopetz” is a Ukrainian surname, I’m now force to wonder whether they’d thought I was, you know, in the business. I just liked the pierogi!)

[elusivewriting]

The Hero's Journey and the Monomyth: Crash Course World Mythology #25

#the hero's journey #crash course #crash course mythology

[elusivewriting]

How do you channel the strange, living quality of some real-life places into fictional settings? How do you go about turning the setting almost into a character in its own right? I saw you visited the part of Ireland I'm from recently; maybe it's because I'm biased, but I've always thought there was some bleakly ancient quality to Donegal and I wondered how you recreate that sort of tangible personality which some places have in your fictional settings - ie the island in Scorpio Races? TY!!

Dear smellvins,

For me, writing a very atmospheric novel is a subtractive process.

What do I mean by that? You have the real world, with everything in it. Donegal, for instance, where I just was. You have every person who lives there doing every thing — the plumbers and the doctors, the cashiers and the bums. You have all sorts of buildings — cottages and clinics, grocery stores and knick knack shops. You have all sorts of days — misty one and sunny ones, hot ones and cool ones. All sorts of people — folks into the Kardashians and folks into knitting and folks into sheepdogs and folks into boats and folks into football.

Creating mood means taking away everything that doesn’t support your thesis — your desired atmosphere. So if you’re trying to lean on the ancient quality of Donegal, you pull out the pop culture references, you pull out the grocery stores with the florescent lights. You pull out the sunny, hot days. You narrow the lens until all the things you point at agree with your mood.

You can add things back in, of course, if you’re trying to balance a contemporary fantasy — you put things back in to ground you and remind the reader when it really takes place. But I add them in judiciously, and when I do, I try to lean on the same language I’d use to describe the ancient and evocative stuff. It makes it feel of a piece.

urs,

Stiefvater

[elusivewriting]

A genre-punk dictionary

Cyberpunk - Neon lights, mechanical body-horror, lots and lots of electronic junk lying around, tightly confined city slums, flying cars, androids, and last but not least, lots of grungy browns and grays. Bladerunner, Judge Dredd, Bubblegum Crisis etc.

Dieselpunk - Similar to cyberpunk, but less about electronics and androids and more about internal combustion and industrial robots. Technology is less ubiquitous in this setting but when you see techology, it will be combustion powered in some way… or at least look like it should be. Expect grease stains and bits of sludge on everything. Final Fantasy VII (the original game only) is a prime example.

Laserpunk - The Anti-Cyberpunk. Spotless with a lot of legroom. Expect glowing lines, fancy grooves, bright white glossy walls, and some shiny blues on everything. Everything in this setting has something that glows, even when it doesn’t need it. These are your Xenosaga’s, iRobot’s, Star Ocean’s.

Garbagepunk - The kludgey cousin of steampunk. Everything in this setting, and I mean EVERY SINGLE THING, is made of trash. Goggles made of bottles, water filtration made of old oil drums and used coffee filters, etc. Mad Max, Deponia, Water World, etc.

Steampunk - Steam power, leatherbound handles, brass fittings, lots of circles and rivets. I shouldn’t have to really clarify this one.

Clockpunk - Steampunk but with clockworks instead of steam engines. Its a small difference, listed only for the reason that steampunk requires steam and clockpunk doesn’t always have it. Expect gears, cogs, wheels and springs.

Codepunk - This one is difficult to pin down. Its less about the aesthetic and more about the concepts. This is a setting where everything that happens is related in some way to programming… Where the laws of physics are just functions being run with parameters, alterable by anyone with knowledge of how to access them. This is a setting where people do battle by compiling text that subtracts a number from the other person’s vital statistics variables, but that is what the world is actually made of, not just a game abstraction. Codepunk is characterized by parts of the world actually breaking down visibly into raw text. .hack//, Fate／Extra, the parts of the Matrix series we don’t get to watch where someone is actually typing on a keyboard to make things actually happen…( not that Neo-Morpheus crap. )

Naturepunk - What happens when you invent modern or even futuristic technology without actually using any technology. Reclining armchairs made of sticks and moss. Aeroplane’s made of palm fronds and vines. If cavemen invented space travel. Everything is made of locally sourced natural components, but the level of technological advancement and sophistication isn’t necessarily diminished because of it. You might have all the classic weapons of war, guns and grenades and such, but made of curious growths. Mushrooms with highly flammable spores for example, instead of a grenade. While not the only example, the best I can actually think of is… The Flintstones. You might also consider many depictions of Atlantis under this category.

Biopunk - Naturepunk’s heavy metal big sister. Everything is made of bone, meat, blood and teeth. Everything is either alive, or was alive at one time. Technology is either made of raw carcasses, or is actually some creature bred or engineered specifically to be used in the way a machine would. Don’t expect to see much inorganic material in generally anything. eXistenZ, generally anything that takes place inside another organism.