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Okay, another little lesson for fic writers since I see it come up sometimes in fics: wine in restaurants.

When you buy a bottle of wine in a (nicer) restaurant, generally (please note my emphasis there, this is a generalization for most restaurants, but not all restaurants, especially non-US ones) you may see a waiter do a few things when they bring you the bottle.

The waiter presents the bottle to the person who ordered it

The waiter uncorks the bottle in order to serve it

The waiter hands the cork to the person who ordered the bottle

The waiter pours a small portion of the wine (barely a splash) and waits for the person who ordered it to taste it

The waiter then pours glasses for everyone else at the table, and then returns to fill up the initial taster's glass

Now, you might be thinking -- that's all pretty obvious, right? They're bringing you what you ordered, making sure you liked it, and then pouring it for the group. Wrong. It's actually a little bit more complicated than that.

The waiter presents the bottle to the person who ordered it so that they can inspect the label and vintage and make sure it's the bottle they actually ordered off the menu

The waiter uncorks the bottle so that the table can see it was unopened before this moment (i.e., not another wine they poured into an empty bottle) and well-sealed

The waiter hands the cork to the person who ordered the bottle so that they can inspect the label on the cork and determine if it matches up; they can also smell/feel the cork to see if there is any dergradation or mold that might impact the wine itself

The waiter pours a small portion for the person who ordered to taste NOT to see if they liked it -- that's a common misconception. Yes, sometimes when house wine is served by the glass, waiters will pour a portion for people to taste and agree to. But when you order a bottle, the taste isn't for approval -- you've already bought the bottle at this point! You don't get to refuse it if you don't like it. Rather, the tasting is to determine if the wine is "corked", a term that refers to when a wine is contaminated by TCA, a chemical compound that causes a specific taste/flavor. TCA can be caused by mold in corks, and is one of the only reasons you can (generally) refuse a bottle of wine you have already purchased. Most people can taste or smell TCA if they are trained for it; other people might drink the wine for a few minutes before noticing a damp, basement-like smell on the aftertaste. Once you've tasted it, you'll remember it. That first sip is your opportunity to take one for the table and save them from a possibly corked bottle of wine, which is absolutely no fun.

If you've sipped the wine (I generally smell it, I've found it's easier to smell than taste) and determined that it is safe, you then nod to your waiter. The waiter will then pour glasses for everyone else at the table. If the wine is corked, you would refuse the bottle and ask the waiter for a new bottle. If there is no new bottle, you'll either get a refund or they'll ask you to choose another option on their wine list. A good restaurant will understand that corked bottles happen randomly, and will leap at the opportunity to replace it; a bad restaurant or a restaurant with poor training will sometimes try to argue with you about whether or not it's corked. Again, it can be a subtle, subjective taste, so proceed carefully.

In restaurants, this process can happen very quickly! It's elegant and practiced. The waiter will generally uncork the bottle without setting the bottle down or bracing it against themselves. They will remove the cork without breaking it, and they will pour the wine without dripping it down the label or on the table.

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“Well well well! Look what the cat cleaned up, showered, exfoliated, powdered, lipsticked, Gucci’d and dragged in!”

— Karen Walker (via astrotomz)

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Berseria and Zestiria Connections

While replaying Berseria and Zestiria, I really enjoyed seeing all the connections and references the two worlds share, despite being set 1,000 years apart. There’s lot of references to places, characters, and events and it’s fun to see how to all connects, but when I googled the games to see if I had missed any references, I didn’t find any very cohesive lists, so I thought I’d make one. Keep in mind not all of these are “confirmed” as in said word-for-word, a lot of this stuff is inferred from conversations, locations, and context.

BEWARE: SPOILERS FOR BOTH GAMES

Characters and Plot:

At the end of Berseria, Laphicet becomes the new 5th Empyrean, Maotelus, using the name Eleanor gave him. Maotelus’ fate is an important plot point in Zestiria.

Edna, a main character in Zestiria, and Eizen, a main character in Berseria, are brother and sister. Their relationship is a focal point for both of their characters arcs.

Eizen becomes a dragon and optional boss by the time of Zestiria. This is heavily foreshadowed (and eventually just talked about in-game) in Berseria. 

In NPC dialogue on Terror Island (Normin Island) in Berseria, a Normin states that Zaveid gave his jacket to a small child who needed it and continued on topless. Apparently, even a 1,000 years later, in Zestiria, he still felt no need for a shirt or new jacket!

In Artorius’ Throne in Zestiria, there’s an optional skit where Sorey and Mikleo find the symbol of Innominat and briefly mention how he was an Empyrean predating Maotelus, though little information about him has survived 1,000 years later

Magilou Mayvin is implied to be the ancestor to the Mayvin clan, who are the Storytellers of Time, both in the Zestiria the X anime and in game. Mayvin is a pivotal character in Zestiria. You can also find a Mayvin tomb in Trizolde cave, where a Seraph tells you about the Poetess Mayvin. I feel it’s implying this is Magilou’s grave but there is some argument over this among fans

The Pirate Aifread, a reoccurring character in the Tales of games, is a character is Berseria, as well as having a region named after him in Zestiria, Aifread’s Hunting Ground

The gun Siegfried, found by the pirate Aifread in Berseria, is an important to the plot and final boss battle in Zestiria

In Berseria, Zaveid helps a wyvern escape during the showdown with Melchior in Lothringen. In Zestiria, it’s an optional sidequest to defeat the wyvern in the Plitzerback Wetland and Zaveid refers to the wyvern as a past mistake

Shigure Rangetsu’s malak, Morgrim the cat, is later the Lord of the Land in Pendrago during Zestiria

In Hexen Isle, where you battle Malak Number One/Silva in Berseria, you can battle the dragon’s skeletal remains in Zestiria

The Normin Phoenix is a optional boss battle in both Berseria and Zestiria, and both times are centered around his involvement with Edna and Eizen

Oscar Dragonia’s family is the same one that founds Pendrago in Zestiria

Armitization is being created and refined in Berseria, but is a major battle mechanic in Zestiria. After the malakhim recover their free will in Berseria, you can speak to two malakhim near the Empyrean’s Throne who talk about refining Armitzation further so that humans and malakhim can use it for a better world in the future.

The production/sale of Nectar/Elixir by the Church is a plot aspect in both Berseria and Zestiria

The Earthen Historia and the Earthpulse are referenced in both games. In Berseria, the Earthpulse is a sort of dungeon/area you visit several times, while it’s never seen/entered in Zestiria. The Earthen Historia are like jewels that you collect that hold crucial story-related memories in Zestiria, but in Berseria, the group only witnesses memories while wandering in the Earthpulse itself.

In the final dungeon of Berseria, the Heavenly Steppes, you meet a malak named Zui Fuu who speaks more about the coexistence of humans and malakhim/seraphim. She mentions a malak who desires to live peacefully with the humans, Zenrus. Zenrus is the seraph that raised Mikleo and Sorey in Zestiria.

Locations:

Stonebury, in Berseria, has NPC dialogue in which a architect wants to build a beautiful bell tower that will “soothe the souls of all who hear it”. There’s also a character in Stonebury that wishes to run for mayor and name the square of the town after him. The NPC’s name is Laston, and Lastonbell becomes the name of a town in Zestiria. Further cementing the connection is the “radishbells” which are a special vegetable being grown in Stonebury, that’s a staple vegetable in Lastonbell

Ladylake is most likely the region between Taliesen and Aball in Berseria. In a tavern in Taliesen, an NPC talks about his and his friends wishing to settle a new town near a huge lake. The men also talk about wishing they had girlfriends like “the lady of the lake from the fairy tales” (you can see this lake as you pass through the Perniya Cliffside Path)

The Empyrean’s Throne from Berseria is the final dungeon in Zestiria as well, although in Zestiria it’s known as “Artorius’ Throne”

In the Aldina Plains, up on a mountain, where you fight Theodora/Shenlong, you can see what appears to be the Rayfalke Spiritcrest in the distance, the Spiritcrest is where Edna is first encountered in Zestiria

Loegres is implied to be Pendrago due to the very similar map layouts as well as the Shrine church in Loegres has an identical layout and NPC dialogue talks about “expanding and building onto the Shrine church” as well as the NPCs wondering what the Shrine church will look like years from now

Lothringen, an area in Berseria where exorcists train, is Lohgrin in Zestiria. You can tell from the identical tower, although the top half has collapsed by the time of Zestiria

Brigid Ravine from Berseria has the same layout as Westernbolt Gorge in Zestiria, but with slight alterations

The Fens of Nog has a similar layout as Plitzerback Wetlands in Zestiria, also with slight alterations.

After the awakening of the four Empyreans in Berseria, the planet is changed radically, causing much shifting and changing of landscape and climate. You can see from the Berseria map (which was made up of many small continents such as Midgand, Northgand, Westgand, Eastgand, Islegand, etc) that East-, West- and Midgand came together to form the larger continent of Glenwood in Zestiria. 

Please let me know if you have anymore to add!

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switch up your verbs (part one) ~

walked - hiked - moved - shuffled - toddled - sauntered - ambled - tiptoed - meandered - strolled

laughed - chortled - chuckled - giggled - snorted - guffawed - howled - snickered - shrieked

wanted - ached for - wished - craved - coveted - fancied - pined - aspired

ran - sprinted - galloped - scampered - bolted - trotted - dashed - raced - jogged

jumped - bounced - hopped - leapt - hurtled - vaulted - barged - bounded

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I need everyone’s best character advice. STAT.

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Wordsnstuff Masterlist

Masterlist

Plot Development

Character Development

World Building

Research Resources

Prompts/Challenges

Drafting

Editing

By Genre

Kate’s Advice

Playlists

Daily Prompts | Author Quotes

Link to Google Sheets version

PATREON | KO-FI

Make a Request | Spotify

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NaNo Prep: Outline Your Story Like a Subway Map

We’re deep into NaNo Prep Season, and this week, we’ve asked participants to share their thoughts on how to craft great plots and build immersive worlds. Today, author and entrepreneur Gabriela Pereira shares her method of mapping out her story:

As a New Yorker born and raised, I think of an outline as being like a subway map. What I love about this approach is that it allows you to see how the various threads of your story work together, but you can also tease those elements apart and look at them individually to see how each thread holds up on its own.

When you make a subway map outline, each line represents a different subplot or story element you want to track. The dots (or stops) represent scenes in your story. Some scenes are like local stops on a subway and apply only to one story thread, while other scenes are like express stops and represent intersections between the story threads and mark key moments in your story. For an example of this technique in action, check out the subway map of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.

Want to learn how to put together a story map like this? Here’s a step-by-step guide.

Keep reading

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Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators:

Send me a # (questions for OCs) or a letter (questions for creators) and I’ll answer

QUESTIONS FOR YOUR OCs

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

How easy is it for your character to laugh?

How do they put themselves to bed at night (reading, singing, thinking?)

How easy is it to earn their trust?

How easy is it to earn their mistrust?

Do they consider laws flexible, or immovable?

What triggers nostalgia for them, most often? Do they enjoy that feeling?

What were they told to stop/start doing most often as a child

Do they swear? Do they remember their first swear word?

What lie do they most frequently remember telling? Does it haunt them?

How do they cope with confusion (seek clarification, pretend they understand, etc)?

How do they deal with an itch found in a place they can’t quite reach?

What color do they think they look best in? Do they actually look best in that color?

What animal do they fear most?

How do they speak? Is what they say usually thought of on the spot, or do they rehearse it in their mind first?

What makes their stomach turn?

Are they easily embarrassed?

What embarrasses them?

What is their favorite number?

If they were asked to explain the difference between romantic and platonic or familial love, how would they do so?

Why do they get up in the morning? 

How does jealousy manifest itself in them (they become possessive, they become aloof, etc)? 

How does envy manifest itself in them (they take what they want, they become resentful, etc)? 

 Is sex something that they’re comfortable speaking about? To whom? 

 What are their thoughts on marriage? 

 What is their preferred mode of transportation? 

 What causes them to feel dread? 

 Would they prefer a lie over an unpleasant truth? 

 Do they usually live up to their own ideals? 

 Who do they most regret meeting? 

 Who are they the most glad to have met? 

 Do they have a go-to story in conversation? Or a joke? 

 Could they be considered lazy? 

 How hard is it for them to shake a sense of guilt? 

 How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive? 

Do they actively seek romance, or do they wait for it to fall into their lap? 

Do they have a system for remembering names, long lists of numbers, things that need to go in a certain order (like anagrams, putting things to melodies, etc)? 

What memory do they revisit the most often? 

How easy is it for them to ignore flaws in other people? 

How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

How do they feel about children? 

How badly do they want to reach their end goal? 

If someone asked them to explain their sexuality, how would they do so? 

QUESTIONS FOR CREATORS

A) Why are you excited about this character? B) What inspired you to create them? C) Did you have trouble figuring out where they fit in their own story? D) Have they always had the same physical appearance, or have you had to edit how they look? E) Are they someone you would get along with? Would they get along with you? F) What do you feel when you think of your OC (pride, excitement, frustration, etc)? G) What trait of theirs bothers you the most? H) What trait do you admire most? I) Do you prefer to keep them in their canon universe? J) Did you have to manipulate or exclude canon factors to allow them to create their character?

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Body Language Master List

So a few years ago, I decided to combine every body language reference into one big master list.

And now I’m going to share it with you guys!

It’s incomplete, and always growing, but it’s still helpful nonetheless.

Body Language Master List

Enjoy!

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Showing Anxiety/Fear

From my body language master list here.

Body: High pulse, tension in muscles, tucked into oneself

Movement: Rubbing throat, jerky, fidgeting, touching face, chewing inner cheek, fast breathing, sucking/biting fingers/knuckles or objects

Head: Lowered (sometimes maintaining eye contact if untrusting), shaking side to side, chin wrinkled and pulled in

Limbs: Legs wrapped around things, crossed arms and legs

Hands: Clenched

Skin: ‘cold sweat’, pale face (sometimes blue), sweating

Eyes: not looking at someone, damp eyes, lowered, wide, closed

Eyebrows: Slightly pushed together, raised

Speech: Varying tone, errors, tremors, gasping, holding breath

Mouth: Dry mouth, licking lips, trembling lower lip, chewing, quirking corner, biting lip, open, corners down, mumbling

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WEBSITES FOR WRITERS {masterpost}

E.A. Deverell - FREE worksheets (characters, world building, narrator, etc.) and paid courses;

NotionByRach - FREEBIES (workbook, notion template, games, challenges, etc.);

Hiveword - Helps to research any topic to write about (has other resources, too);

BetaBooks - Share your draft with your beta reader (can be more than one), and see where they stopped reading, their comments, etc.;

Charlotte Dillon - Research links;

Writing realistic injuries - The title is pretty self-explanatory: while writing about an injury, take a look at this useful website;

One Stop for Writers - You guys... this website has literally everything we need: a) Description thesaurus collection, b) Character builder, c) Story maps, d) Scene maps & timelines, e) World building surveys, f) Worksheets, f) Tutorials, and much more! Although it has a paid plan ($90/year | $50/6 months | $9/month), you can still get a 2-week FREE trial;

One Stop for Writers Roadmap - It has many tips for you, divided into three different topics: a) How to plan a story, b) How to write a story, c) How to revise a story. The best thing about this? It's FREE!

Story Structure Database - The Story Structure Database is an archive of books and movies, recording all their major plot points;

National Centre for Writing - FREE worksheets and writing courses. Has also paid courses;

Penguin Random House - Has some writing contests and great opportunities;

Crime Reads - Get inspired before writing a crime scene;

The Creative Academy for Writers - "Writers helping writers along every step of the path to publication." It's FREE and has ZOOM writing rooms;

Reedsy - "A trusted place to learn how to successfully publish your book" It has many tips, and tools (generators), contests, prompts lists, etc. FREE;

QueryTracker - Find agents for your books (personally, I've never used this before, but I thought I should feature it here);

Pacemaker - Track your goals (example: Write 50K words - then, everytime you write, you track the number of the words, and it will make a graphic for you with your progress). It's FREE but has a paid plan;

Save the Cat! - The blog of the most known storytelling method. You can find posts, sheets, a software (student discount - 70%), and other things;

I hope this is helpful for you!

☕️ buy me a coffee! ☕️

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Oh no, a man from a super unknown anime who happens to be just my type........... The anime seems to be about food as well

(he's Casserole Mille Morteln from Sweet Reincarnation)

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If you wouldn't go to someone for advice, don't take their criticism either.

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Don't you sometimes get an absolutely extrodinary, mind blowing, such an awesome idea for a story, but you just don't have enough skill level to pull it off?