#like they're both the kinds of people who ALWAYS corrects u

[libraincarnate]

astrology notes: 11 🌊

quick note: i'm absolutely not an astrologer. these are just a collection of some observations, thoughts, theories, and personal experiences. above all this is just for fun. lastly, these may or may not apply to you but you might find something to be true about your friends, family, or lover. enjoy!

✿ aquarius in the 1st house (composite): people may be surprised to you see two together as a couple. this can be because you don’t look like you’d be attracted to each other or because your personalities are different. maybe you guys have been friends before so your families/mutual friends didn’t see it coming. and perhaps you & your partner didn’t expect it either and it came as a surprise, something unexpected. a friends to lovers type of relationship. and although people may be surprised at your relationship they may see that the two of you get along really well, probably always laughing and talking to each other.

✿ neptune in the 2nd house: these natives may have recurring moments where they lose money or it just suddenly disappears even though they’re certain they remember exactly where they put it. may also experience money missing from their financial accounts.

✿ lilith in the 2nd house: can indicate someone who is sneaky, stealthy, & sly like a fox, good at stealing things and rarely getting caught. probably have a history of stealing and could have been doing this since they were young.

✿ lilith in the 3rd house: may have road rage and can be someone who doesn’t respect the traffic signs nor traffic lights. the type to make a u-turn when they’re not supposed to, run a red light, or go above the speeding limit. possibly the types that got into fights in their earlier years in school.

✿ lilith in the 4th house: may be embarrassed or ashamed of their family or their mother in particular. they may not like it when people come over their house and especially do not feel comfortable inviting their friends/partner over. their family may be overbearing, lacking social awareness, vulgar, messy, etc. this placement kind of reminds me of elizabeth and her family, the Bennets, from the movie pride and prejudice (2005 version).

✿ there are so many factors to look at considering your appearance in astrology. i have the features of my rising sign and although im not a libra rising, i’m very libra/venus dominant. i’m a libra sun/venus, my sun is at 7° (libra degree), i also have a libra stellium in my natal chart and in multiple persona charts, it just goes on and on. with that being said, i have dimples and so many freckles, beauty marks, and birth marks all over my body and basically on every body part. so don’t just look to your rising sign. check your dominant planet/sign, your venus sign, the degree of your rising/venus sign, your ascendant/venus persona chart, along with any planets in your 1st house because they can all have an influence on your appearance.

✿ when it comes to words, i’ve noticed that gemini tends to double check the definitions of words to make sure they're using it correctly. they like to expand their vocabulary and using that vocabulary in their day to day speech or to appear smart & they talk a lot, more extroverted. virgo tends to be more pedantic, correcting others for an error in pronunciation/spelling, there’s an emphasis on on grammar and they may flash their impressive vocabulary to show you how stupid you sound, at work/business meetings, or when they’re being sarcastic. they're both ruled by mercury, but i think geminis like to talk more than virgos. virgos appear bashful and quiet/introverted but they have their moments when they are feeling talkative.

✿ sun in the 4th house: these natives may stand out in their family in some way. their skin tone may be lighter than the rest, may be the smartest one, the tallest one, the popular one.

if you have siblings with sun in the 4th you might get compared to them a lot, people/your family highlights the qualities that your sibling has which are the ones you don’t have or maybe they point out how they’re better than you at certain things.

✿ chiron in the 4th house: may have felt like an ugly duckling, an outcast in your family, like you don’t fit in. omg just thought of meg from family guy as i was typing this. could have been treated like cinderella was by her stepfamily.

✿ aquarius moon: may enjoy or find comfort in watching wholesome videos or reading/listening to wholesome stories or news reports. the ones with acts of kindness & generosity, humans treating each other the way they should, the ones that “restore your faith in humanity.”

✿ people with gemini or aries placements tend to be impulsive or quick to react, especially with aries who can be intense & temperamental, or someone who is uranus dominant who can be quite unpredictable and capricious. but if you have pluto in the 1st house you may have great self control. you might be livid or scared on the inside but you have a poker face on the outside. this doesn’t mean you don’t react but you delay the reaction, you wait a little longer to see how things develop and decide whether a reaction is warranted or not.

✿ libras appreciate manners & respectful people so they may not be a fan of cursing and vulgar language. this is contrary to their sister/opposite sign aries who probably curses often and uses indecent words when talking. for libras it makes them cringe, for aries it can be a form of verbal, emotional, and self-expression.

✿ pisces love it when it rains. they find it soothing & dulcet. the change in atmosphere is something they can really feel & it’s comforting. they’re the types to listen to sad music when they’re sad, so the gray skies & dark clouds only makes everything better. taking a walk or being outside on the porch or balcony as it rains can be refreshing & purifying for pisces. laying in bed cuddling or falling asleep to the raindrops feels like bliss.

^ meanwhile sun dominants may hate it when it rains because the atmosphere looks too gloomy & dismal to them. and things could get windy, muddy & messy which makes them want to avoid going outside altogether.

✿ lilith in gemini: these individuals are quick thinkers & are good with words, they know how to be persuasive which makes them good liars, they can create clever lies on the spot. while this can make them appear untrustworthy, for these natives lying could have been a surviving mechanism. they may have been subject to tense, controlling, and traumatic environments & people and this could have made them feel like they couldn’t be themselves nor speak their truth. doing so may have resulted in more pain and suffering and to avoid or at least reduce that, they turned to lying to protect themselves.

✿ netpune in the 8th house: probably aren’t afraid of death and may even look forward to going to the other side (i’m not talking about suicidal thoughts). or they might wish to die in their sleep when the time has come. they may have a tendency to imagine gruesome things like strange/dark creatures & they might experience vivid nightmares that feel real. would probably be really good at creating morbid art.

✿ scorpio mars/venus: may be mean to their partner, not really in a serious way but in a teasing way. but trust me, underneath the little attitudes & the teasing they are in loveee. they care for their partners so deeply and just want to drown in them.

✿ moon in the 7th house: they don’t like when people are mad at them or when there’s strife in their relationships. it makes them feel emotionally uncomfortable which can lead to the native worrying and obsessively thinking about what went wrong. they’ll try to talk it out, perform acts of kindness, or other things to get the person to forgive them or to resolve any issues. this is another placement that may be too forgiving or tolerant in relationships as well.

✿ cancer: may be a very patriotic individual and so they may have the desire to go to war or fight for their homeland/country in some way like getting into politics for the sake of their country. they may feel a strong connection to their family, their background/history, and the land their family came from. could be the type to rep their flag and culture loud and proud. may want to give back to their country or the people there. tradition is important and they plan on keeping family/cultural traditions alive and/or even creating some of their own.

✿ 6th house synastry: gather around the fireplace my loves, were gunna talk about this synastry because often times it’s either disregarded, underappreciated, or seen as ominous. because of this i’ll mainly be talking about the positives and the favorable possibilities. warning, this is section is lowkey long af.   with 6th house synastry you get a feel for how well a person can fit into your life. because the 6th house has to do with daily life, routines, and schedules, this is such an important aspect in a relationship. the person you have 6th house synastry with could possibly think you make their daily life so much better. and if you are apart of their daily life, then there’s potential for you to be a big part of their life or to be in their life for many years. this doesn’t automatically mean this person will be a co-worker, employee, or employer, but if you can see, interact with, and develop relationships with the people you work with on a pretty daily basis for years, even 10+, then the same can apply to the those who aren’t co-workers, etc. but you still have 6th house synastry with them.

who knows, animals may bring you two together. could meet at the dog park, the vet, at an animal shelter or pet store. you guys may get pets together and it could feel like that pet is apart of your relationship/family. perhaps you two met at the hospital/doctor’s office, or when you happened to visit their place of work.

this person may look forward to seeing or speaking to you everyday. you can become apart of their routine, your presence can feel so natural that it feels like something is missing or different when you’re not around, when they haven’t heard from you, when you didn’t go out for your daily coffee together, when you miss dinner, when you’re traveling or away from home they can really feel it and miss you.

schedules are also important, such as work schedules. with unfavorable planets and aspects they might work a night shift but you may work a morning shift, or somehow your schedules clash. or sleeping schedules which can determine the rest of your day. for example they may be a night owl and you may be an early bird which means you may not get to sleep with each other often, can eat breakfast at different times, while you feel the most productive and energized they may feel the least productive or they’re just trying to unwind. almost functioning on different time zones.

but with favorable planets and aspects and such, this can bring so much harmony, connection, and understanding to the relationship. things flow. those moments when you’re sleeping together, get to just spend hours in bed, cuddling, making/having breaskfast together, knowing exactly what they like to eat, doing your morning/night routines together. a lot of the things are in the details but they’re still significant and can contribute to forming a bond. there’s more time to spend together and wanting to be near each other either doing something together or on your own but still next to each other. there’s a sense of familiarity and comfort.

there’s so much care and attention in 6th house synastry. your partner wants to put you at ease, making sure you’re okay, that you’ve eaten, you’re in a good mood. they’re supportive. they remember the important and little things about you. your likes and dislikes. you know those games where you and your partner answer questions about each other/your relationship? you guys would probably be good at that. when you’re sick they wanna do anything they can to help and alleviate your pain & discomfort. the type to never wanna leave your side until you’re well again. your well-being is a priority for them.

the 6th house is ruled by virgo which is ruled by mercury and the 6th house relates to the conscious mind as well. so with 6th house synastry, you may be someone that’s always on their mind, they find themselves thinking about you throughout the day. wondering what you’re doing, how you’re doing, the next time you’ll hang out, how much they love you, etc.

if i’m not mistaken, the 6th house also considers the physical body. so if positive placements and aspects in the 1st house can indicate good physical attraction and sexual tension/chemistry because of physical appearance, then why can’t this apply to the 6th house if it relates to the physical body? i’m not saying the 1st and 6th house are the same, but different houses do have similar themes. with that being said, sex can also be a big part of your relationship. for a lot couples, sex is important and even a deal breaker. this doesn’t necessarily have to do with one’s performance in bed but rather the sexual experience as a whole and how they connect with each other during the act. for a lot of people sex is more than just sex and in the 6th house this can be a daily/frequent thing. might like showering together. and because 6th house is the house of service, depending on the signs/planets in the 6th house there can be a dom/sub type of dynamic, not just in sex though. your partner may be more dominant or have submissive traits in the way they approach life and go about doing things.

going back to the physical body, there’s exercising, may together & perhaps helping each other stay healthy and on top things. there’s self-improvement here but in synastry there can be improvement and progress within the relationship too. creating common goals, creating plans with each other and if you’re doing these things together, surely you must see them in your life in the future. 6th house also talks about habits and you might be a good habit, something that is so good for them and their life, possibly even addicting or healing. with taurus in the 6th you can make them feel grounded and you bring stability to their life. with leo in the 6th you can bring fun, a burst of energy or happiness to their everyday life.

if they’re headed out to the store, food shopping, running errands or whatever, they might want you to come with them and you guys can have fun doing simple things like that. the type of partner that might be sitting with you or watching you while you put your makeup on/get dressed, helping you choose an outfit. don’t forget, acts of service is considered a love language for a reason! and relationships don't only consist of romance, going on dates all the time, staring in each other's eyes saying i love you every 4 seconds (hey scorpio 😘😂), but there's a more realistic & practical side as well.

mars in the 6th can bring passion, sex, desire, and determination. your partner can be a source of motivation. and i get that mars is a malefic planet, but every planet/sign can come with pros and cons whether it be benefic or malefic, and there are also favorable/unfavorable aspects, retrograde planets, etc.

venus in the 6th can bring affection, beauty, attention, love/romance, and pleasure. they may also help you with your self-love. acts of service may be a primary love language but remember signs matters to. with taurus venus it may be acts of service + physical touch.

or with gemini venus it may be acts of service + words of affirmation.

moon in the 6th here can bring an emotional connection, considering their feelings and what’s meaningful to your partner, someone who relieves your stress. may help you cope with your emotions in better ways.

plus, the 6th house won’t be the only house with planets in it. so having a synastry chart with 6th house energy coupled with that 8th house synastry ya’ll love, or even 5th house or 7th house energy may be really nice to have.

i see 6th house synastry described as unromantic and while i agree that the themes of the 6th house aren’t related to love, i still see it as a house with themes that can establish a very good foundation for a relationship and it can help develop a bond, and greatly contribute to intimacy and a close connection.

if you read the whole 6th house synastry section here’s an extra heart for you ♥︎, because you really read all that lol. i appreciate you! but hopefully this was helpful, encouraging, and i hope this brought a sweet & supportive perspective to this synastry.

if you read this until the end i hope you enjoyed it & thank you so much for reading. ♥︎♥︎♥︎, those hearts are for you.

#astrology #astro observations #astrology observations #astrology notes #astro notes #6th house #synastry #6th house synastry #libraincarnate

[sukifoof]

sometimes i think about the way asriel interacts with people and how he seems to believe that theres like. rules to friendship or something of the sort. maybe not Rules exactly but he seems to think there's a Correct way to act. he needs to do everything Right so he can get his Happy Ending. and the thing that really gets me about that is we only see him directly talk to two (2) people and that's chara and frisk. with chara it's like he's desperately trying to be as nice as possible and he just kind of goes along with whatever they say to keep them as a friend, and that only breaks once he feels like he's done something wrong (an example would be when he goes to asgore after getting scared by them). and how he says "i'd Never doubt You chara" despite obviously doubting this plan is so. yeah he's a people pleaser alright.

and Then there's frisk. flowey doesn't seem to see a point in befriending them for several reasons whether it's jealousy or an uncomfortable reminder of who he lost or that they remind him of himself. he talks to them as if he's thinking out loud, talking to himself. the only times he slips back into that persona is when he's trying to get the player to do what he wants like "oh maybe She has the key to your happiness :)" and this is Exactly why he NEVER believes anyone when they're genuinely kind to him. he thinks it MUST be an act because he thinks that's what his kindness is. he's so firm in his belief that he Must be terrible that he could never be genuinely kind or genuinely care about anyone. he's stuck in this cycle of self hatred from grief and his inability to Stop Masking For One Day Of His Life

so then it makes me think really hard about the way he interacts with papyrus. papyrus is really interesting cuz he's genuinely kind without just letting people do whatever they want to him. he has his boundaries and flowey knows how he'd respond to anything he says. and papyrus pretty much goes "wowww cant believe u would say that about urself" whenever anyone's a jerk to him which i'm SURE was amusing to flowey. we don't know much about how they talk to each other but they can probably understand each other's loneliness but i also think a lot about how sans says that flowey gives him praise and predictions. it just makes me wonder if he's Once Again falling back into his people pleaser habits with those he's fond of out of fear of losing them even though he knows how papyrus would react if he Was a jerk

flowey believing he can't feel and that this is so horrible of him is probably a result of him masking his whole life whether it's as the prince or someones friend and going "oh god this isnt really Me... what Is really me and did the Nice me die along with chara???" i just think. he's so unbelievably traumatized and clearly autistic (and probably has ocd tbh) and he doesn't know how to deal with it when he's done something that results in an unhappy end. that's Also why he blames himself so much he just thinks if he just did everything right everything would have turned out right. he's so well written in every aspect and it always makes me happy to see a well written character that i can relate to as someone with both ptsd and autism... thank u flowey i love u

#undertale #utdr analysis #utdr #flowey #asriel dreemurr #asriel #papyrus #hi im being regular about my big favorite again as u can see.

[cherrybombrs]

do u have any wiz101 beginner tips!! i just started recently cause it's a very charming mmorpg but after the unicorn way quest it threw so much tutorial and gameplay mechanic at me and my little pea brain cannot keep up, any advice?

OK HIII for starters thank u for helping me realize i had asks turned off on da wiz blog... i've since fixed that so. that should be good now <3 ^_^

AS FOR BEGINNER TIPS... i played the very first arc YEARS ago like a year or two after wiz's first release. i played back in 2011 so everything is like a blur to me- and i do have like. TWO wizards that i made to start fresh with just to see like. how things changed and. YEAH. i see what u mean with how they just kind of throw u at the wolves once ur done with that section

unfortunately i dont have many tips in that regard just because the starting point of the game has changed SO much fundamentally from the time that i played, to now. but i could give u some small things that might make ur life a little easier???

edit: PLEASE ALSO CHECK ALL THE REBLOGS AND THE REPLIES FROM ALL THE LOVELY PEOPLE!!! THEY HAVE ADDED MORE THAN I COULD EVEN THINK TO REMEMBER THEY R THE REAL MVPS!!!!

find a friend who can trade u monstrous TC (treasure cards)!! they're additional spell cards you can add onto your deck that upon use get used up, but monstrous comes super in handy because they boost your damaging spells DMG by a big amount. it'll make the slough of early game much quicker.

WHILE UR DOING UR main scenario quests, look around at the side quest in the area!! i never did this growing up but it dawned on my now how crazy smart this is LOL a lot of side quests will be like "hey wizard go beat up these things for me pleaseeeee" and you can sync up ur quests along with ur sidequest and they'll both count. literally a win-win

the further u go on in the game, u should keep ur deck smaller- less spells means more likely to pull what u need in that moment means less prolonged battles that go on for longer than they need to. ALSO LEARN RESHUFFLE its a balance spell and you learn it in krokotopia. CORRECTION YOU LEARN IT IN COLOSSUS BLVD FROM MILDRED FARSEER (THANK YOU @/divine-deer!!!!) literally worlds most op spell in the game love it

there's some side content that the game throws at u randomly. iirc, theres grizzleheim starts at level 20 and then you keep getting called back there until u reach 45 (that's for wintertusk, highly recommend for that level!!) wysteria, lvl 25 i believe there's the underwater section in wizcity sewers in olde town aquilla (HIGHLY rec doing this for the sky iron hasta, that bad boy will carry you to lvl 100 LOL) and much much more. i know there's more but I'm literally forgetting because there's so many side worlds

when in doubt. just look up whatever you're dealing with and add reddit on the end. i don't like reddit but damnit those mfs have ALL the answers for literally anything

this is ALL i can rlly think of off the top of my head rn BUT if u ever have anymore questions my dms are always open as well as my ask box ^_^ i love wizzzzzz

#bailey-boompants #ask #wizard101 #w101 #i'm gonna reblog this to the wiz blog since its SUPPOSED to be there but. ya u get it #THANK u for asking this i hope some of those tips helped... i know it doesn't answer everything but. yea. wiz has a lot of. Things in it #it can be hard to like. comprehend #not to mention half the spells that have like. fucking hieroglyphics in them like. Ok what you mean 675 death fist 40% broken heart 3 devil #like WHAT.

[quohotos]

did u maybe also read guardians of ga'hoole? could i bother u for some of those owls?

YES! I did read all of them when I was like 11 or 12. Our school library had the full series. I don't remember if I liked owls before I discovered Ga'Hoole, or if I liked owls because of Ga'Hoole but either way it became like my THING for a couple years.

My favorite thing about them was that in the inner cover was all of the main characters illustrated with their names attached, and then in the back cover was four more characters illustrated who you hadn't met yet. I just thought that was so cool, and every time a new character was introduced I would flip back to the end cover and see if it was one of the ones shown off. I'm totally going to steal that technique if I ever get published.

I actually made a clay plant pot that had little (also clay) renditions of these guys pasted onto the side but I can't find it at the moment. If I ever do I'll post a picture of it.

oh, rant time:

I read ALL of the books, and then got two books into the wolf spinoff before I realized I just... didn't super enjoy Lasky's writing. I put up with it because owl but there were a lot of things that really baffled me as I reading. What the fuck was going on with gizzards? And magnets? Why were there always songs? Why did we get two expansion pack maps (wait, no that was cool I'm not complaining about that one)? Why was Soren's brother owl Hitler? I mean that literally, they say like "Hiel Kludd" and goose step and do a little owl salute. Why do all of the books I read as a child have animal Hitler in them??? Are the humans (sorry, others) all dead? Did the owls kill them? Trader Mags tears out the eyes of portraits and trades them, and laments the fact that she's never found violet eyes (is that a fucking Underland Chronicles Reference??? (I don't think it is now but I sure as heck thought so then). Why did it suddenly become first person but for like only one book? Why is Soren related to both Owl Hitler and Owl Jesus? Does Mist actually have magic powers or is she just like that? Why did Soren let his kids drink alcohol? Soren just starts a family off screen like welcome back he's a dad now? Am I allowed to make fun of the fantasy names that are impossible to spell and pronounce or are they actually Native names and I'm gonna appear super racist? God those were violent, like a lot of people died? What's all this shit about owls not pooping, they totally do poop in addition to dropping pelots? This book mislead me and I totally embarassed myself infront of the entire highschool biology class aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I remember walking downtown and going past a local mini movie theater. There were posters up for the Ga'Hoole movie and I was like HOLY FUCKING SHIT LETS GO LETS GO YES YES YES.

And then I saw it and it was just alright. I mean I'm not gonna say it was bad or anything, I don't think Zach Snyder ruined my life or whatnot but it was just okay. I feel like British Soren was anoying but they at least got Twilight correct. Mad they recast the spotted owl because they're native to where I grew up and we love the representation. They rolled the first like four books into one and changed the lore to kind of merge the moon blinking (which just dissipated from the story after book 2?????) with the animal magnetism that brainwashes his sister (fucking magnets again, magnets in the gizzards, how do they work?). Why did they put owl city on the soundtrack? I mean it was obligatory, they had to, but also why?

I did read all of them religiously, and I do have a great appreciation for owls as a result... but I'm just not as attached to them as I am the Underland Chronicles. I feel like they were good books for me as a kid, but I have very little desire to go back and re-read them.

#ask quohotos #bats and owls on demand #Art request #paint 3d #paint3d #ms paint #my art #my terrible art #crappy art #guardians of ga'hoole #owls #plus a bonus unhinged rant

[sw1mmingfoolz]

A SLIGHTLY DISJOINTED LIST OF WRITING TIPS

hey peeps 😌 a whole zero people asked or showed interest and true to my style I'm posting anyway lmao :) this is a collection of writing tips I remind myself of all the time! some are from online (mostly reddit), some are from writing workshops and classes i've taken, some are just commonly traded around by famous writers and some come from my own experience! i've been writing for 15 years, since i was a literal child, and i think it's safe to say i've learned a lot since i wrote 15 pages of what i was absolutely sure would be my debut novel "The Ratticator" when i was, like, 6. so i think ik what i'm talking about 😎 without further ado, here is the list!! it isn't very organised, for which i do apologize :')

If you have writer’s block, change your document font to Comic Sans. No idea why this works, but it’s a known tip and it really does!

DO NOT edit as you go. If you just can’t seem to stop yourself, set your document to Wingdings. This is especially helpful in your first draft. I personally call my first draft document WORST VERSION JUST PURE GARBAGE or some variation to take the pressure off.

Treat all writing as practice. It’s better to write pages and pages of pure garbage than to be too paralysed by fear of failure and not write at all as a result. At least with garbage you can edit it, see what issues you have with your writing, etc.

If you struggle with editing, try writing everything longhand on paper or printing out a particularly hard chapter (double spaced so you can annotate it) and rewrite it. Also, run your work through text-to-speech to catch typos or little errors you might otherwise overlook!

Google “filter words and how to avoid them”, especially if you write in first person. Focus on showing and not telling, and be wary of using too many adverbs (I’m so guilty of this) and verbs after dialogue. Also avoid epithets! By all means necessary! For example; “the short haired man”, “the brunette”, “the [job title]”. These are common in fanfiction but do not sound good or flow well. They’re often used by novice writers. (I’m guilty of this too! Again, these kinds of things take practice).

If you’re struggling to plot, it can help to write “draft zero”, in which you write out chapters in the least words possible without needing it to sound good. This can give you a skeleton to fill out. You also don’t have to write chronologically; write the fun scenes first or whatever scenes you already have in your head out and build around those!

Speak your dialogue out loud. If it doesn’t flow well, it doesn’t read well either.

Similarly, come back to a chapter / work after a minimum of a day has passed. Looking at it with fresh eyes after a break away can help immensely with weeding out awkward parts, errors or parts you’d like to change.

“Said” is not a bad word; don’t go to insane lengths to avoid it!

Not every piece of dialogue needs a tag; trying to add one to everything without having dialogue by itself makes writing clunky.

For both dialogue and inner monologue, have your characters miss the mark just slightly on what they're trying to say. In reality none of us express ourselves perfectly off the cuff, and you can even communicate a lot about a person through what they omit or avert or misread. (from u/frozenfountain on Reddit)

Usually when people talk, they’re not just talking. What facial expressions are they making? What are they doing with their bodies? Are they just ‘saying’ something or are they stuttering, shouting, or whispering (don’t go overboard with this kinda description, though). You also don’t always have to specify who is speaking; you can establish the people initially and, especially if they speak in distinct ways, it should be clear. Also, learn correct grammar for dialogue. A new speaker should be on a new line.

Vary sentence structure. This is probably the main cause of people feeling that their writing feels "off." A lot of people try to solve repetitive sentence structure with epithets or with unnecessary synonyms, but it only masks the problem, it doesn't solve it.

For example:

"What's going on?" said Bob.

"I don't know. Jill just stormed out of here," said Abigail.

"That's weird. She seemed fine this morning," said Bob.

"I think the stress is finally starting to get to her," said Abigail.

It's boring, right? How NOT to improve it:

"What's going on?" said Bob.

"I don't know. Jill just stormed out of here," said the blue-eyed woman.

"That's weird. She seemed fine this morning," pondered the older man.

"I think the stress is finally starting to get to her," surmised the greenette.

Instead maybe something like:

Bob looked around at the confused faces in the room. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," said Abigail, fidgeting with her necklace. "Jill just stormed out of here."

"That's weird. She seemed fine this morning."

Abigail shrugged. "I think the stress is finally getting to her."

The other problem I see: unless you understand what third person omniscient is and are using it intentionally, it's probably best to pick just one point of view per scene and stick to it. (u/DemyxDancer on Reddit)

Don’t focus on stuff your character wouldn’t just to fill a word count.

Try not to use the same word twice in a paragraph unless they’re connecting words or names/pronouns. At the same time, try not to overuse the thesaurus and use a million synonyms for something - find different ways to describe things. 

Write as though there is no formatting available to you. Adding bold or caps or images or footnotes is cool, but the story should be understood exactly the same without them. This is also an accessibility consideration, since screen readers will miss this extra context if it’s purely visible.

Localised spell check! I use British spell check on Google Docs because I am British but sometimes accidentally use the American versions of words. This can also be immensely helpful if you’re writing dialects / a different form of English than what you’re used to. 

Let go of perfectionism before it kills writing for you. Coraline took Neil Gaiman over a decade to write. Ursula K Le Guin banged out three Earthsea books in 4 years before taking a 12 year break between the third and fourth books in which she took a big interest in feminism and entirely changed the way she wrote female characters. Nothing is going to be perfect initially, and expecting it to be so dooms you before you can start.

Paragraphs!! Punctuation!! So many times I have clicked on a promising looking fanfiction but backed out because I couldn’t read it properly - commas, semicolons and hyphens (and em dashes!) are your friends :)

If possible, shut out everything else during a designated time period and just write. I know this isn’t possible for everyone but should you be able to set a window and have a schedule you’ll find writer’s block to hit you less!

Starting with a lot of exposition can be boring. Short, snappy first lines and/or coming right into the action at the beginning can help hook the reader better. Or alternatively, have a prologue if there’s important exposition that needs to be established at the start!

Writing is inherently hard, even for well established writers. Accepting that will help you more than you’d expect.

Read as much as you write, if not more! Reading makes writing a lot easier. A lot of writing is being inspired by other writers. NOT copying, or plagiarising, but drawing inspiration from them. For example (as we spoke about a couple of days ago), my lovely mutual Livvie @greenlivvie has a colder, more direct and more formal writing style as a lot of what she reads is nonfiction, whereas I read so many gooey romance webtoons and poetry anthologies that my style is extremely warm, probably too descriptive, and rather poetic.

Find the joy in writing! I know engagement is extremely important, especially in fanfiction, but if it’s your only drive you’re destined to burn out. You should write first and foremost for the love of writing. That’s not to say you shouldn’t want engagement, however, and that readers should not give it (PLEASE readers, learn that likes on Tumblr are absolutely useless compared to on other platforms and start reblogging, tagging, and commenting! Here are some relaged posts with creators expressing their frustrations (x) (x) (x) so you can understand WHY it matters so much to us. On AO3, comments mean the world!)

Bad writers tend to think they are amazing and infallible, while good writers tend to think they are terrible. It’s about not letting that self doubt stop you from creating entirely! Also, if possible, find someone to beta your work and give their concrit, especially if you find yourself hating your work but not knowing why.

“Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day. It helps.” - John Steinbeck

Write through the eyes of the character, not the lens of a camera (for third person).

“No matter how worried you are about that chapter, no matter how badly you think you botched something, do not tell your readers this, and if you can't help it, put your notes/concerns at the end of the chapter. If you tell a reader at the beginning of a chapter "this chapter is not my best", they will read it in a different light than if you had said nothing at all. If you're looking for feedback on the chapter, put your notes at the end. Let the reader read the chapter "fresh". They'll form their own thoughts and opinions, and then only after that, they'll read your comments/concerns/questions and are more likely to respond to them candidly, rather than having the chapter flavoured by worry or doubt. Your work is good, don't tell people otherwise.” (from u/Panoramic_Vacuum on Reddit)

Don't write your scenes/chapters differently than you originally wanted just for the sake of ''censorship'' to be able to maybe target a larger/different audience! Always write stuff exactly the way you always imagine(d), no matter how dark, bloody, sexual, whatever it might be. A story that is deliberately ''pruned'' will never have the same significance an ''uncensored'' one has. And for characters, always remember the one tenet:

''It doesn't matter how small or unimportant a character might seem at first, they always should be interesting and compelling in their own right, not just be means for the purpose of another character.'' (from u/JokeyZockey on Reddit)

Always remember the five senses as you write

Note down ideas or lines you think of when you think of them. You will probably forget them otherwise. I am totally not talking from experience 😭

In writing fanfiction, you’re writing for free! No apologising for slow updates, no apologising for hiatuses, again Coraline took OVER A DECADE to be finished and published yet you feel bad for not pumping out work every day? Readers do not get to be entitled, they are consuming free content from you and that in itself is a privilege. Readers, please be mindful that we are regular ass people with school and work and other commitments, and also be mindful that if you do not interact with our work that’s only going to serve to motivate us even LESS.

Reward yourself! Wrote a chapter, or hit a word count goal, or finished a plot? Watch a film you like, or buy your favourite snack, or have a long ass bath with a bunch of shit from Lush that makes your house smell like a perfume shop for years afterwards. Rewarding ourselves pleases our primal little monkey brains and makes it a lot easier to get past writer’s block, knowing there’s something in it for us at the end. 

AND FINALLY! Ignore everyone as much as you want to. You should be writing for fun, for yourself - hell if you wanna ignore these points that’s entirely your prerogative. People will tell you not to write certain tropes, or leave unnecessary criticism, or be demanding when they could totally just go write the fics themselves if they care that much. Write because you like to, and you will find your audience :)

i hope you could find even one tip in this list helpful! reblogging with your own tips is encouraged actually :) much love to my fellow writers, it's thankless sometimes and difficult basically all of the time but it's fun and i meet absolutely lovely people on here doing so 💞

#i feel i coulda included more but i didn't wanna ramble #a/n #reference #writing tips #writing advice #writeblr #writing inspiration #writers #writing community

[pictureamoebae]

hi there! ive been meaning to see how certain shaders alter this specific preset im using, but since there are so many, i have a hard time knowing how the order should go. i found an answer from u abt load order from two years ago, but i wonder if that has changed with recent reshade updates. any help is appreciated! thank u<3

Hi there!

Load order is such a big topic! There are some golden rules you should always try to abide by, and then everything else is just personal preference.

MXAO should go at the top. Then other depth effects like SSR, Adaptive Fog, Depth Haze, RadiantGI etc.

Next comes SMAA/FXAA, followed by any sharpening. I usually keep DoF below SMAA even though it's a depth effect, because it seems to perform better with jaggies that way, but you can experiment a bit with that. I also put the Flashlight shader above DoF because otherwise it can cause a bit of weirdness in the blurred areas.

DoF is a big one to get right. Some shaders can look really messed up in blurred areas if DoF is in the wrong place. The above placement seems to work best in my experience. But there are always other shaders I've never used that you might stumble upon that you have to just test and see how they work. Just try and remember, if something looks weird in blurred areas, try moving it in relation to the DoF shader and see what happens.

At the very bottom should come any film grain shaders, and just above that the Deband/Debanding shaders. Don't put Deband below film grain shaders or it'll ruin the grain pattern.

Everything in the middle of those top and bottom sections is pretty much personal preference. I see a lot of people say bloom shaders (including Ambient Light) should go above any kind of colour correction or colour grading shaders so that the colour grading applies to the bloom. Personally I don't think it matters a huge amount, I've done both before, although that is the way I'm favouring at the moment.

If you use more than one bloom shader you'll notice a difference when you move them up or down the load order amongst themselves as they react with one another. Again, that's entirely down to personal preference and what looks best with your preset.

Then we come to the various colour grading shaders and light/contrast shaders. This is where it's really, really all about trial and error. There's no correct answer, it's all about what looks best with the settings you've chosen. You don't have to stick with a specific load order for them. I often swap things around a bit if it looks better in particular lighting/weather conditions.

If you have Prod80's shader pack installed you'll see the shaders come prefixed in the shader list with numbers. That's the general order he suggests they go in. If you take a look at that it can give you an idea of which shaders often work best in what order. But again, especially for colour grading and light/contrast shaders it really is whatever works best for you!

It is really overwhelming, especially now there are hundreds of shaders. When I started with SweetFX (which came before ReShade), and then early ReShade, there were far fewer shaders. You could still get stunning results. For someone starting out who wants to learn all about how ReShade works and how to tweak shaders and get them working well together it would probably be a good idea to only have the standard and SweetFX shaders installed, and maybe the Legacy shaders too. You'll have less choice, but you also won't be as overwhelmed. Early SweetFX and ReShade presets were pretty much exclusively made with the backbone of Levels, Curves, LiftGammaGain, and Tonemap, with the odd bit of DPX, HDR and BloomandLensFlares thrown in. They're really simple and basic shaders but you can achieve a lot with them.

#reshade faq #reshade load order #reshade load order faq #load order faq

[nogenderbee]

REQUESTS ARE OPEN AGAIN??! YIPPEE OKAY LETS SEE!! Also its none other than 💫anon hehe

Okay so i had this idea, can you maybe do Tsukasa (and maybe Mizuki but like seperately) x reader and like the reader identifies as non-binary but they have a feminine appearance and they are comfortable looking that way but they're sometimes worried that their identity wont be validated unless they look the park?? If that makes any sense. I know this is oddly specific but its just like a thing i have going on💀

Also as always, bonus points for physical affection like lots of it because istg you cant look at Tsukasa and tell me he's not huggable and kissable bro (same goes for Mizuki i love them but like T S U K A S A)

You'll definitely see me again when i come up with more request ideas hehe >:DD

Anyways no rush take your time and maybe like a fic format if that works for you

Omg, hello 💫 anon again! I hear you and I think I could got that, plus fic format is not a problem for me! Also Tsukasa and Mizuki are both so so SOOOO huggable and all!! I made sure to contain there some physical affection for you so I hope you enjoy~

Tsukasa, Mizuki comfort non-binary!reader

TagList: @alicewinterway18 @bleachtheidiot - come get your future star!

@no1mizukifan - come get your cute animator~

Today was one of those days when you were insecure about your appearance again... but not in like a way you'd hate your appearance, in fact you were really comfortable with it. It's just that many people used to "forget" about your true identity because of how feminine you look.

Today many classmates mixed up your pronouns even after you corrected them so no wonder you've been in worse spirits, which your boyfriend immediately picked on and decided to ask you about it.

"My star, are you alright? You seem to shine a little less today. Did something happened?"

At first you weren't sure if you should tell him about what was troubling you but after he started to rub back of your hand in comforting way, you kind of let it all out. You didn't even noticed when his arms wrapped around you.

"My star, please listen to what I want to say... If you're comfortable the way you are, you shouldn't change it. It doesn't matter if you look that way or another because your identity still will be the same and if someone doesn't get it, I'll be there to help you out! You just have to call me and I promise I'll run there!"

After that you stayed in that position for a while. Tsukasa had his both arms wrapped around you and one slowly rubs your back. Even if you started crying he let you his shoulder while still saying comfort words.

And he kept his promise, he was always there to remind anyone your true pronouns and identity, it doesn't matter if someone your age or adult made that mistake, he always was ready to jump into conversation and remind the other person that they should use correct pronouns for you and he'll even fight over your honor if needed but not in like physical way, he simply had a conversation with them and wouldn't stop unless they realize their mistake.

"Why can't people understand that appearance≠identity?" That's the question you were constantly asking yourself today. Everyone, even people who knew well about your real identity seemed to have forgotten who you really are, so no wonder you've been in worse spirits lately this day. Sure, you may have tried to mask it but your partner noticed it either way.

That's why, when the two of you were hanging out, they asked you if you had worse day today and if something happened.

"Hey YN, are you feeling alright today? Did something happened or are you just tired? Don't tell me you pulled an all nighter..."

They looked at you with their worried look and that's when you felt you can't hide it from them so you explained everything. And once you started, they immediately put their arm around you while gently rubbing your back.

"Ah, those people! Hey, it doesn't matter if you look feminine or not because you're still you! And if you feel comfortable the way you are then you shouldn't change anything. It's their problem if they can't appreciate amazing person like you! But if you need, I can always talk with them?"

If you agree on them talking to your friends then they won't give up untill they'll make their point but it's really up to your friends if this will work or not since they will go as far as they can't but they won't threaten someone to use the right pronouns.

But after your confession, Mizuki keeps rubbing your back and even starts gently rubbing your cheek with their thumb while saying comforting words. They also suggest you have a gallery date to try some clothes and maybe get your mind off this day.

❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉⊱•═•⊰❉

#nogenderbee 💫 anon #project sekai #colorful stage #project sekai colorful stage #x reader #project sekai x reader #colorful stage x reader #project sekai colorful stage x reader #tsukasa tenma #mizuki akiyama #tsukasa tenma x reader #mizuki akiyama x reader #project sekai tsukasa tenma #project sekai mizuki akiyama #project sekai tsukasa x reader #project sekai mizuki x reader #fluff #headcanons #project sekai fluff #project sekai headcanons

[rinhaler]

hi hi i’m from like one of the first toxic! megumi questions i was rlly nervous dk why, anyways! i have a few questions you don’t have to answer them all though. 1: so like i’m pretty sure megumi was the first to cheat right? correct me if i’m wrong. 2: how do you think megumi & reader could better their relationship?? 3: has megumi ever cheated on reader with any of her “friends”?

omg I probably said before but don't be nervous to talk to me ever I'm just a gworl with a computer I love talking to u guys abt stuff!! whether it's my fics or just life things :3 BUT THESE ARE ALL SUCH GOOD QUESTIONS THANK YOU NONNIE

I'm not sure if I specified how the cheating started but honestly Megumi being the first wouldn't surprise me but imagine if it was the reader 😭 I feel like if it was her he'd be like 'oh okay this is what we're doing' and then just take it too far and this is how they are where they are now 😬 (again it's been a while since I read that fic so if I specified either way feel free to let me know but adghgfdhgf). I don't know why the reader would cheat first but I think they're both very sexual people and we know they like to use it as a weapon with each other and against each other.

I think a lot of people who read this fic immediately pin blame on Megumi as being the worst and being awful and blah blah (he is) but the reader is just as bad. She can be very manipulative and cruel in that sense, she's definitely the type to use people to get what she wants and she doesn't really care who gets in her way or gets hurt. Hence why she didn't feel any qualms about sleeping with Yuuji, knowing he's Megumi's best friend. She made that decision knowing that Megumi would be pissed with them both but likely take more of his aggression out on Yuuji later down the line and destroy their friendship. The reader knows she and Megumi always forgive each other, so really, there's nothing she can do that would result in losing him. Their relationship is very toxic and co-dependent, they're addicted to each other.

I'm not sure if there is a way for them to repair their relationship without breaking up. I think maybe if they spent some real time apart to work on themselves and iron out the issues with their own behaviours and attitudes towards other people they might be able to reconcile and have a healthier relationship. However, I do think Megumi in this particular AU is very methodical and set in his ways in regards to relationships. And the fact that he knows everything he does keeps her yearning for him, I don't think he'd have any desire to change and I don't think he'd be able to keep away from her for long enough to make any real progress towards betterment.

To be honest I think he is on the yandere scale to some degree because whenever they have their little breaks he stalks her every move. Not always physically but he will almost always know where she is, what she's doing, who she's with, whether it's from following her or checking her socials or getting his friends to spy on her when he isn't around, he's got ears everywhere. He'd never be willing to let her go, I'm not sure what she could do to make him want nothing to do with her, but it's the same for her. They're very icky and toxic but they are kind of perfect for each other since they're both shitty people LMAO

Your third question is my favourite because to be honest I think the reader doesn't have friends of her own anymore. He has fucked them all. Not even because he thinks they're attractive or even close to being as hot as her. It's purely out of spite and leaning a little on that manipulation scale too because he knew after the first friend he fucked she wasn't going to leave him. And the fact that he's fucked all of her friends has completely isolated her from anyone who can make her see sense. She blames them rather than him. In her mind she's told them what he's like so they shouldn't have given him the time of day if they are truly her friends. She knows Megumi is shitty, she knows this is the type of thing he would do, so she doesn't hold him accountable. It's her friend's fault entirely.

The only friends she has now are also Megumi's friends. And they're never gonna say a bad word against him, not really. They may see how awful their relationship is but she is his property to do with what he pleases.

LOOOOOOVED these questions thank you so much nonnie 🥺 sorry for rambling I hope I didn't bore you with all of this gkfahlgahslgh love ur big brain and fun questions :P I can talk about my AUs allllll day so if there's anything else u wanna know u know where i am :3 PLS DON'T BE NERVOUS ILY BBY have a beautiful day!!!

#💌 — luxe mail #toxic!megumi

[baladric]

💘💫🤍🪄 🦋 for the ask thing!

ehehe thank u anon!!!!

💘 Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

honestly kind of all of them? i am chronically dissatisfied with my end products—mostly because i look back at them and see nothing so much as pacing issues, and a propensity to attribute too much emotional intelligence to my pov characters. i'm not going to rewrite them, but if i had a perfect world and limitless time, i'd rework both Sweet Hope and a pearl in my hand. they're both so good, but they could be so much better :')

💫 What is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

i'm very partial to the comments that involve people quoting the bits that personally victimized them >:3c with a very loud shout-out to the wildly sincere and personal ones—i write because reading has helped me through every hard moment in my life, and hearing that i've given that gift to other people means the fucking world to me

🤍 What's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

i think generally people pick up what i'm laying down, but one thing that irks me a little is a minor trend of people reading Sweet Hope and walking out with the "Maia Drazhar Is An UwU Cinnamon Roll" thing still lodged in their heads. as a person who's been categorized by many abusers/toxic loved ones as A Faultless Ray Of Sunshine, i can say that it's an awful, awful place to be, and unfortunately i take my job as Disillusioner Of Maia Drazhar's Fawn Image very personally whoops, which was kind of a central motivator for me in writing that story? like that's one of the core themes, right? maia's aunt attributes a faultless and innate Goodness™ to maia, and everyone gets Upsetti about that because they all recognize that maia chooses to be good, though he has every reason in the world to be callous and cruel—and that it's the deliberate choice of compassion and consideration that defines him, and not some like. idk built-in Sweetness Coding. he is not good or sweet—he chooses goodness and sweetness, and that distinction is very, very important to me, and to my interpretation of maia, because it allows for the complexity of human (elvish lmao) error. he doesn't always say the right thing, nor should he be expected to by those closest to him. he doesn't always make the correct choice, nor does anyone. so like. idk!! he's not A Cinnamon Roll!!! that is very reductive to me and rubs me very wrong!!!!!!!!

🪄 What is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic?

if it's a longer fic, there is a great deal of celebratory shouting and probably some excited dancing, followed by a jittery lap around the house before obsessively refreshing the fic page to watch the hits go up lmaooooo. for ficlets, i tend to say "NICE" very loudly, drop it and go do something else with a warm ember of satisfaction in my heart. usually there is a little drink involved in both of these.

🦋 What are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

oh boy uhh, everything kind of!! i worry a lot about my characterizations, bc i definitely have Opinions and i've come this far without getting my ass cancelled but i do worry about dumb stuff like oh no what if people don't like that i refuse to believe goblin emperor elves are all Literally paper-white and perfectly blonde or shit i shouldn't have leaned so hard into selectively mute link. and i do worry too about the self-indulgent Breakdown parts of my writing, eg the whole scene in Sweet Hope of maia breaking down at the opera or the big in pearl in my hand where link wigs the fuck out on sidon. those always feel too loud to me, somehow, like i've allowed myself and my characters too much license or awareness or Clarity or something? i usually refuse to reread those parts of stories tbh. like i'll do a cursory editing pass and then never ever touch those sections again bc i just get so embarrassed ;alkdfjwa;d

fic writer ask meme!!

#aj answers #anonymous ask #ask #ask meme

[satanfemme]

contemplating/venting about work under the cut

also. fuck my job for giving us such a low borderline-meaningless raise. I wanna know what kinda raise the CEO got this year. all the higher-ups are like "YAYYY!! you guys are making more now!!! isn't that so exciting ^_^!! see! we care about our employees!!" meanwhile it's still nowhere near enough to live on, all of my coworkers and I are poor as fuck, and the job is inherently emotionally/physically destructive. it's a sacrifice we all knowingly signed up for, but NOT for the "reward" of poverty. imho.

I have coworkers living with both a partner AND roommates just to afford one tiny apartment. one of my coworkers moved down the street from work to save on gas money (among other reasons). lots of us have side hustles, needless to say. whenever I mention having a whole studio apartment for myself, the first thing I'm always asked is "HOW?!?!?! how do u afford that?!?!?!" and of course the answer is "I don't, lol. nearly all of my paycheck goes towards it and then I take on debt to afford most other things". but I mean, look at that exchange, isn't that insane? an adult mentions to a co-worker that they're renting one (1) shitty room for themself and a dog to spend most of their time in, and the co-worker's immediate reaction is shock cause that's a fucking Luxury lifestyle? might as well say I own a yacht. but the reaction is literally rational and correct!!!!! it's so depressing. it's so so depressing that this is just reality. our CEO was making the equivalent of $80/hr last year. all the higher ups think we should be over the moon for $16/hour this coming year. what kind of raise did the CEO give themself? what will $16/hr cover a year from now really; in autumn 2023? cause in autumn 2022 it's already not covering much.

the deafening silence during our budget meeting, when all us wage employees were asked if we had any questions about the raise. we were previously told (tho, in no on-paper legally-binding way) it'd be to $17/hour. $17 was the Bare Minimum living wage for this area back in 2019. it's now 2022, and we were denied that wage. why? that's my question. but I didn't ask it either, obviously.

I know I'm not the only one feeling stuck and scared. every convo with my co-workers lately, no matter what topic it started with, has somehow turned itself into mutual grief of "I wish I weren't struggling to survive. I really like this job. there's no better animal welfare jobs in the area. this was my escape from a shitty animal welfare job. there's no guarantee that any other job, in any field, would let me be gay/trans/disabled/mentally ill/myself/etc the way I can here. many jobs would turn me away immediately. I feel overworked. I don't know how to afford things." ...and then I bring up the "CEO makes $80/hr" fact and lol. the unspoken tension that plain statement adds to the conversation.

I'd call myself a lil firestarter for it, but the info is public and easy to find. I'm surprised I'm the only one who did the math but I'm glad more people are becoming aware of it. the wage employees are the ones DOING the actual work here, u know? the paperwork, and blog posts, and emailing bestie PETA (ugh), and handshaking the governor (who's actively attempting to pass transphobic legislation but shhhhh) are all very important for the business the cause as well I'm sure, but an animal welfare org would not EXIST without the laborers who know how to, you know, care for the animals. even at the expense of ourselves and our safety.

oops idk, is this rant getting mean? the higher ups are always very nice to me, I'm being a lil mean. but I had to help give a co-worker first aid the other day, and when we were like "hey, you clearly broke something, you're covered in blood, you're fading in and out of consciousness, and we don't know how long you were out before you were able to call for help. let's drive you to a hospital now." they refused to go anywhere but an urgent care clinic cause, u know, money? and then I clocked out late cause we're so overworked we can't afford a single detour during our shift like that. (and can't clock out til all the work is done ^_^). so yeah if I'm coming off a lil bit like a mean commie rn maybe that experience is why. I wonder how often the CEO gets injured on the job? do u think the $80/hr is to cover all those dog bites they get on the daily ... in their personal office space nowhere near the animals?

idk if we're gonna unionize any time soon, but I know I'm not the only one feeling this way. maybe that's the silver lining. still, it doesn't stop the nightmarish elephant in the room either. anywaysssss that's my rant for the day thx

[penname-artist]

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting? 💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

Oooh, that first one's got me thinking, hm... there's a lot of stories I've made over the years but in terms of volume of responses I wasn't quite expecting, I have to say probably that old 'From V to U' fic I made, because as it happened I got corrected by like four people why Maru's name is Maru. A part of me wants to redo it because of that but you know what? It's one headcanon, an old one at that, so I'm not worried about it. Y'all can live with it.

Another one, for a strikingly different reason, is basically any of my popular ones. I almost never "expect" to get a lot of traction on them, per se, I kinda just expect the usual handful of views and kudos, but some of them - *cough cough* Chance of Rain - just seem to take off on their own accord. It's extremely welcome and appreciated but it's definitely unexpected, too XP

Also I found my least kudosed piece (it's actually a tie) and I'm...GENUINELY surprised? Like. It's a smutfic. Are you- are you guys okay? The horny people totally passed this one up? (to be fair this is an OC/OC piece so I can understand that much, but still)

Now 'Unknown' I get, y'know - it's a Cabbie-ISH fic, it's vague, it's short, there's a piece of lore behind the piece of lore and it won't make any sense if you don't read the first one and you really don't NEED to read this one because the only thing it is is finishing the job and closing the book on one part of Cabbie's pre-military life. But still.

Oh wait I needed to say something specifically good about them I just remembered LOL

On 'A Canine's Pet' I just absolutely love the wording. It's technically in an in-between place of 'vanilla' and 'very much not' but Lucky and C4NIN3 are an established couple (and they're adorable) who can admittedly be a little kinky from time to time too. They're both characters that belong to my buddy @yaboymacaroni and they're super cool and fun to write. I think I'm just trash for small bratty twink characters but you know lol

And for 'Unknown', hmm...Well, I can tell you I made Unknown before I even finished making Sweet Child of Mine (the brother fic to it). I knew exactly how I wanted it to end, though getting there was the trickier aspect. And if I'm being really honest here (I always end up that way because I can't bend truth to save my life) the fic was its own kind of vent in a way, it just wormed its way into the ties of headcanon lore. The only thing it's meant to reference is cutting connections with your past and, well without putting too fine a point on it, leaving the past to rot in your stead. Finishing a chapter of your life so to speak, no matter how messy severing that connection may be. Is it a little extreme? of course, it's fanfiction. Then again, I've also seen a lot worse. And when you're a writer, your own self starts to get sewn into the fabric of fics you weave, whether we wanted it there or not.

(One of these days I'll finish Blindfall, I swear to you)

[doloridis]

GET TO KNOW THE MUN.

name: megan

pronouns: she/they

preference of communication: carrier pigeon. no i kid, i'm generally far more reliable on discord than i am on im's, and that's mainly bc i have too many blogs and i don't log into each of them every single day so if u message me on one blog i might not see it for another week and then i feel very very very guilty so. discord is best w me :)

most active muse: active is a questionable word here ... i typically operate all of my blogs on a "if i have muse for them, i'm on them" basis as well as a "if there's a plot/dynamic potential with this muse, i log on to them" basis, which means that my level of activity can really spike or drop depending on my mood. BUT. as of late shiv and callie have been who i find myself logging into most, and like, interacting with their dashes

experience / how many years: in the indie tumblr rpc since march 2016, but i was in rp groups from like 2013 onwards. i was also in fb rp groups at entirely too young an age, probably circa 2010? i shudder to think about it

best experience: TBH it's gotta be when i had my wee time traveller oc tim (she's over @ prewette, shameless self promotion) because she was one of the very first ocs i'd ever, like, properly fleshed out and written on tumblr, and she was SO well received? everybody loved on her and there was genuine interest and appreciation for her as a character, and it warmed my heart so much, and made me so excited to actually be in the rpc and be writing.

rp pet peeve: like rika said, when people write accents that they don't know in replies – i always think it's bad enough when you are familiar with it in the first place, but when you don't, it just makes me cringe. people who take themselves entirely too seriously and seem to be allergic to fun. the lack of media literacy or critical thinking skills that seems to infest certain fandoms and spaces on here, especially where it involves complex and morally grey female characters ...

plots or memes: i adore plotting and i think it helps me find motivation for replying to threads when there's been some kind of dynamic or timeline or idea developed and established. i do like winging it, don't get me wrong, but sometimes i get too in my head and anxious that where/how i see it going is not how my writing partner sees it going, and so i put off replying for such a long time it becomes embarrassing

long or short: i'm here for both! i do adore long threads, but find they can take a lot out of me after the first few replies that i speedily write out of adrenaline and excitement. not to say that i lose any of that, or that i stop loving the thread, bc i absolutely never do, but like i said above, i get in my own head and i worry about length and the ratio of dialogue to prose. i start overanalysing myself and my writing, and then, again, i put off replying for a loooong time (are we all noticing a pattern here?) HOWEVER i also cannot handle like. one-liners. at all. i get bored so easily i'm so sorry you'd imagine with an attention span as short as i have i'd love them but nope. generally, one/two para threads are the ones that i think i'm most likely to be consistent to be with, but no promises as usual

are you like your muses: i have long since said that there's a part of me to be found in every muse that i pick up, and people are gradually beginning to realise that i'm entirely correct in that lmao. typically, it tends to be the underlying current of depression and anxiety, the bottling up all their emotions until it eventually breaks them down in an ugly display that they hate, the feeling that they're just Too Much for the people around them, the whiplash of an intense self loathing versus a serious superiority complex, the desire to seem lax and cool and collected but being the opposite of that, and, on a more surface level, the Gay thing. and the woman-but-??? thing. the sooner u all realise that the characters i write are essentially self-inserts with very heavily specialised au's, the better–

tagged by: @warbyrds 💚 tagging: if ur reading this ur tagged matey

#ooc. #[shrugs senselessly] idk dude

[ap-sadistics]

Can I ramble ? Imma ramble don't answer if u don't want to lol

About the last poll, where u asked if we think a character stays the same or not depending on what/where they've been stuffed.

I do think a character can be the same depending on the interpretation and the past you give them, and depending on the pov of the person who's writing the script/story. I'd say it's like having two person that got through the same kinda past, or having the same ability, but ending up with two entirely different personalities.

Like HIP kinda ? Where you'll have like two extreme of people having it BUT there's not just extremely calm or extremely agitated it can actually be really anything because of how each person is different .

Now how is this relevant ? Well it all depends on who's adapting it, what they saw most often (it has very much an influence on the writing I think) and how they might interpret the character. As long as they stay true to the "core", that they stay recognizable, and so that the character feels the same, then it should be no problem at all.

I'd say the only good example is Aisha from the Winx. I really don't like the remake but I do think Aisha was the only one I could recognize during S1 (didn't watch S2 and I won't). She was still sportive, kind of cynical (idk if that's the right word but u get my point) and helping others despite that.

(Or ur interpretation of the character can end up like Velma, so y'know)

Idk if what I just said is obvious, but yeah. Still the same as long as you can feel the character

They're a fighter ? Make them stay a fighter. Doesn't matter if in one interpretation you make them scared of everything as long as you can feel and at some point see they're ready to fight back if it's for friends or family.

Something like that

you see i get why people think and vote "same" on my poll. because technically both answers are correct simultaneously.

but you see. i actually disagree. i voted different. and also btw the question wasnt about "depending on where", it was regardless of where.

i have a strong opinion that the different iterations of characters are different they are made by anyone other than the original creator.

i like rambled about it at length several months ago to a friend here

but heres a copy paste of an excerpt from that ramble

ive believe... that the moment an interpretation of character exists concretely in the world, a new version of that character is created and is inherently a separate guy. because once the person takes that character theyre imparting their own self into that character because their perception of that character will always be different from that of the originals creators... even if you tried your hardest to be the most faithful that you can be to the source can you truly confidently say that your vision of the character is the same as the creators? when you are obviously a separate and different person from them?

i believe the moment you put it down on paper (paper is metaphorical considering its all digital here) you gain some amount of ownership to that specific instance of that character. you created that version of that character. so even if you were intending that character to be similar to the original and they Are similar to them in every regard.... you brought that into being. you may not own that character but in some way. you Do. you see people use possessives for different versions of characters right? like my [insert character] or stan lee's peter parker and im blanking on what examples i can use. but people make a distinction between versions dont they?

like bbc sherlock vs doyle's sherlock vs dgs sherlock

all the same character........ technically. but also. unmistakably different.

tho theres cases where its more muddy tho and its less clear cut. but i go at length about the different cases in the linked post.

#i know the real answer is both #BUT ALSO. DIFFERENT IS MORE CORRECT OF AN ANSWER THAN SAME. THATS MY VERY HOT TAKE. #jem's miscellany #anonymous #asks

[wndaswife]

Analyze me! INTJ.

I used to be INFJ, maybe I just don't give a f anymore

u may still be an infj because mbti doesn't change with their letters because of how things happen in life. for example i am an infj and over the years i've been able to become more comfortable with talking to people and not being the awkward cold aloof person i used to be because i literally could not socialize for shit LOL. but even though i have become "more extroverted" im still an infj. basically mbti types aren't put together by letters but by cognitive functions. it's kind of confusing at first but i'll try and compare infj and intj for you through cognitive functions and that may help you understand it more

so firstly infj and intj share the same cognitive function, meaning for these two types the introverted intuition function is the strongest for them out of the four they use. introverted intuition means these types go through and analyze patterns and connections in the world internally. someone who uses extroverted intuition will be very overt with their thoughts and opinions. entp and enfp are both extroverted intuition users. an intj or infj is seen as a good intellectual match for entp and enfp because they will likely always have constructed opinions and observations (Ni) for enfp/entp who love to bounce their ideas out everywhere

moving onto the second strongest function, this is where infj and intj differ. intj uses extroverted thinking as their second strongest function. idk i love putting mbti types as villains LOL so as a villain intj would be a huge strategist. they would know your next move based on rationality and outcome prediction, they know the next best move and are really in their heads, need a lot of time to compress and go through things on their own. their ultimate intention would likely be correcting something in the world that isn't as effective or as productive as it should be. a good intj character (tho she's not a villain) is beth harmon from the queen's gambit. an infj is more of a manipulator, and to win they would probably try some kind of emotional manipulation. their motivation would probably be trying to make the world a more just place, highly emotionally manipulative and think that what they're doing is morally right

intj works on what's more with what makes more sense rationality wise, and infj works with more with what makes more sense in terms of morality. tho these two are the same in some regard because they both think conceptually

#rae responds #anon

[quickhacked]

🌻💐 + vincent!!

HELL YEA VINCENT MY BELOVED THANK U SO MUCH

🌻 what little things do they notice about people or the world around them that make them happy? what tiny little treasures do they find in the normal every day that makes the world seem a little brighter for them?

answered here! but let me add some more things actually because i love the him

vincent picks up on other people's tiny habits! i wrote something about this earlier actually- about how during vincent's first meeting with vitali he notices how vitali moves his pen to his left hand whenever he looks up from his work to listen to jackie, and just kinda rolls it between his fingers while asking jackie a question and gesturing with his other hand, and this is how vincent immediately draws the (correct) conclusion that vitali smokes, or at least has smoked at some point in his life

he likes noticing things like this, because it reminds him that the people around him are as much human as he is :) he sometimes forgets about that and is easily intimidated by others (he's pretty intimidated by both mikhail and vitali when he first meets them as well OGH), and seeing the little reminders that they're just people too really helps with that

another thing he really likes is to stop at a small store when he's hanging out with friends to buy something to drink! it seems like a very small thing but just them grabbing a quick refreshment and sitting on a bench or the curbstone or like in the car but like with the car door open and legs still outside while drinking it makes him feel very happy :)

💐 how does your oc handle being unwell or forced to rest in bed? who cares for them and in what ways? does your oc enjoy being doted on or are they a terrible patient? reversed: is your oc good at taking care of others who are ill or in need?

when vincent is sick, it's like the kind of sick that just renders you useless for a good week or two LOL it rarely happens so when it does it would probably scare the shit out of his friends because he's just lying there. sure he's giving vitali the thumbs up but he does not look like the thumbs up LMFAO

he'll just stay in bed or lie on the couch and watch tv or watch mikhail play video games and he likes it when others take care of him, though he also feels like he's bothering them :( catch him running a severe fever constantly apologizing to others for being ill auauuagh i'm wrapping him in a blanket

when he's injured, he can still do things because of his decent pain tolerance and since he also feels like he's bothering people he tends to just go on about his day as if nothing is wrong, but that always tends to hit a limit and when he gets there he'll just drape himself over whoever is closest to him and he essentially needs to be carried around LMFAO

reversed, vincent is decent at taking care of others when they're sick. he tends to overdo it a little bit to the point it can become a little overwhelming for others, but he has a hard time taking a step back because he wants to be there for them :( he's not very good with words when it comes to comforting others, but is a great listener and a very good shoulder to cry on as well <3

oc asks!

#asks #mutuals #arklay #ask:vincent #oc asks #i'm so in love with him you don't understand auauauauuaua #my tiny littol man... i'm sorry i'm putting you in so many situations

[david-schmid-photo]

The Secrets Behind Good Black-and-White Street Photography

© David Schmid

If you think street photography is just about pointing a camera at varied people and moments on the streets, think again. There are numerous things to consider before taking street photos if you want them to turn out at peak quality.

Street photographers use their art to capture unique moments of everyday life. Taking great photographs on the street, whether of interesting people or candid scenes, calls for not just the necessary gear but also the correct intuition and lighting reflexes.

It’s precisely the spontaneity of these images that gives them nuance. Candid photography transcends the feeling of a staged photoshoot and gives a true rendition of life as it appears naturally. In this article, we will discuss a few street photography tips to take your craft as a street photographer to the next level.

Whether you are at the beginning of your journey, already have some experience with street photography but want to escape your street photography fear, or simply want to read up on a new topic, this article will uncover some valuable insights about black-and-white street photographs. 

6 Secrets Behind Good Street Photography

© David Schmid

Let’s get straight into the tips, so you can start taking amazing black-and-white photographs right away:

Make Use of Natural Lighting

When shooting street photography, you'll probably have to rely on the surrounding light. Few street photographers use flash or any other kind of artificial lighting. Therefore, it's important to take street shots in a style that complements the light.

You shouldn't venture out on overcast or rainy days expecting to take high-contrast black-and-white street shots. Moreover, find some shade if the light is too harsh and you'd like to get softer shots. It is also recommended to stay out of the direct sunlight, but this will depend on where you take the pictures.

Prioritize Facial Expressivity in Street Portraits

The ability of black-and-white photography to draw more attention to faces than color images is one of its greatest strengths.

Pay close attention to the people in your images. You should be doing this anyhow, but while shooting in black and white, make sure to focus on the facial expressions and eyes for the most striking results.

Stay away from those who aren't open about how they're feeling. Seek out those who possess that unique characteristic that sets them apart. Because of this, it's not uncommon for regular folks to make the most stunning images.

Shoot Your Images in RAW

Camera settings are an important part of any type of photography. Even though RAW will shoot in color, it contains all the necessary information to produce high-quality monochrome images.

Given how fleeting and dynamic street images are, this is of paramount importance. Because the light is both imprecise and changes so rapidly, you will frequently miss perfectly composed shots. With RAW, you'll have greater leeway to edit and transform them into stunning monochrome images.

Still, many photographers prefer JPEG because of the great built-in black-and-white profiles on modern cameras, and it's not a bad choice. It merely limits your options for post-processing photo corrections. Plus, you may always use those black-and-white profiles while editing your RAW file.

Stay Consistent with Your Photography

This specific advice is particularly for those who wish to showcase their images – whether it be in a gallery, or on a viewing night with friends. Documentary photography, for example, relies on consistency to tell a full story. 

Many times, it's best to stick strictly either to solid colors or black-and-white while assembling a project of your work. The audience can fully immerse themselves in the work's content as a result of the continuous world-building provided by the photographs.

It is helpful if the photos you edit together have a consistent style. Make an effort to transport your audience to a monochrome universe.

Stay Focused and Adjust Your Settings

When shooting in black and white, pressing the trigger at the right time is essential, as is paying close attention to the camera's settings for the optimal shutter speed. The difficulties of street photography are magnified when the subjects are in motion. 

It calls for a good stance, careful adjusting of the camera's settings, and a laser-like focus. If you want to get good at this, you have to try a lot of different things until you find the one that works for you and can consistently capture those little moments when they happen on the streets. The payoff for all that hard work, though, is priceless.

Be Patient and Attentive

If you want your street photos to turn out well, one thing you need to do is be patient. By taking your time, you can anticipate when the light will be ideal for your photo shoot. This type of photography records everyday life, therefore it needs to occur as naturally as possible.

This piece of advice applies to every kind of photography, not only black-and-white street photography. Keep your eyes peeled, and your pace slow once you've found a decent position. Taking pictures doesn't necessarily require constantly changing your location. If you are patient, the decisive moment will likely come to you. 

Conclusion

Landscape photographers, documentary photographers, and portrait photographers have been making use of these six tips to elevate their images. To capture fleeting moments and transform them into fine art, you need skill, precision, patience, and the right equipment.

For some examples of black-and-white people and street photography, check out my portfolio.

#street photography #black and white photography #photography #street photo