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Heathers as Zodiac Signs

Heather Chandler (Aries, Taurus, Leo)

Heather Duke (Gemini, Virgo, Capricorn)

Heather McNamara (Cancer, Libra, Sagittarius)

Veronica Sawyer (Scorpio, Aquarius, Pisces)

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So you live in a traditionally warm climate and suddenly have to deal with an unprecedented cold snap.

How to survive the cold with limited power, insulation and heating options.

(Most of these require a bit of planning ahead and having supplies on hand in preparation for an emergency, but they will keep you warm, and more importantly, do so safely.)

Tea light candles and terra cotta gardening pots: you do need to use genuine terra cotta for this, but lighting a candle beneath an overturned terra cotta pot - one of the ones with drainage holes in the bottom so the candle doesn’t sputter - will act as a no power space heater for small rooms. Just make sure they’re only lit while you’re awake.

Block door gaps with towels: roll up bath towels and wedge them under the doors of any warm rooms you have; it will prevent cold air getting in underneath them. Along those lines…

Tape bubble wrap to drafty windows: it works about as well as industrial insulation film, and if you’re careful taking it back down again, can be rolled up and reused. This will prevent some heat loss at night, and as it isn’t blocking light out, will help sun-warm the house during daylight if it isn’t too cloudy.

Sleep with other warm bodies: share a bed with housemates, invite over friends or family, pets - anything warm blooded will contribute to warmth and you’ll all be safer for it. Bundle up and huddle together until your power comes back on!

Set up a camping tent around your mattress: this is another one that requires advance planning, but a zipped up tent will make for an enclosed space that is far easier to make warm and keep warm, and if your mattress and betting are put inside it, will be the safest and most comfortable way to sleep.

If you have advance warning of a cold snap, leave your faucets dripping on purpose: this will prevent the water in your house’s pipes from freezing. Frozen water will burst a water pipe, leading to a lot of unnecessary water damage.

Try to have a pantry of shelf-stable food and access to at least one method of cooking it that doesn’t rely on electricity, like a gas powered camping hot plate, if you can afford them. If all else fails, you can likely heat food over open candle flame, but it might be better to eat tinned tuna or cereal or what have you in that case.

And then of course, the usual power outage preparedness applies: flashlights and batteries, at least one battery powered radio, and make sure your car’s gas tank is full if for no other reason than using it as a power source; even if roads aren’t clear you can turn it on and huddle inside.

For those of you without homes: if you have the money for it, consider getting a cheap gym membership so you have access to indoor spaces even late at night, some are open 24 hours, and look into YMCA or soup kitchens or shelters way in advance. You’re going to know your resources better than I am, but the cold is no joke. Good luck and I love you.

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titling wips - prompts and examples

the name of an important character (Hamlet, Shakespeare)

an important place (ACOTAR, S.J.M.)

a summary / foreshadowing of the plot (the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S.L.; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, L.C.)

look at other titles from the genre -> currently a popular layout in YA fantasy is "a ______ of ______"

choose one word that summarizes nearly everything (Divergent, V.R.)

the name of a place or event (Caraval, Stephanie Garber)

a recurring theme (Twilight, Stephenie Meyer)

a quote (These Violent Delights, Chloe Gong)

literary devices -> alliteration (The Great Gatsby, F.S.F.) -> rhetoric (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, P.K.D.) -> allusion (Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, Chelsea Handler)

what stands out? can you put that into words?

remember that titles will change with time—Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) was once named First Impressions, and War and Peace (Leo Tolstoy) named All's Well that Ends Well

the time of the setting of the novel (Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell)

enough of the ending to spike curiosity in the reader (They Both Die at the End, Adam Silvera)

a rare word that describes the book

use a general title then a subtitle

think of the title being as much of a hook as the first line. would you rather read Caraval or Magic Fair?

be specific—Mystery of the Iron Mask VS the Mystery of the Man in the Iron Mask (E. H.-J.)

prompts for @greengardenfairylit

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i want to write a poem about how lovely and terrible it feels to be reassured by someone i love that they love me and i can trust them bc i’ve had my trust in people shattered so consistently throughout my life and maybe that’s the reason why my relationships function best when there’s an element of distance and/or space bc that’s the only way i can cope with the debilitating fear that everyone i ever love will not truly see me and care about me for who i am

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i just… want everyone understand and appreciate that this.. is the softest moment in history

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I know how to convey emotions, but always struggle at describing locations. It wasn't a problem when I was writing slice-of-life short stories, but now that I'm working on a fantasy novel, I'm always worried if readers can see what I want to show them. I know only very few people who are interested in writing so getting feedback has been a real challenge for me. (I also have no social media accounts for now)

Five Things to Help You Describe Fictional Locations

1) Gather Inspiration Pictures

The thing about imagining places in our stories is that we often have what feels like a clear picture in our minds of what we want that place to look like, but once you zoom in–like when you try to actually describe the place–the details become quite fuzzy if they exist at all. For that reason, for most of us it’s essential to spend some time gathering inspiration images to help you mentally flesh out setting details. For example, let’s say the centerpiece of your story is a dark medieval castle in a desert landscape. You might start by looking specifically for medieval castles and fortresses in arid locations, and then you might branch out and look for medieval castles in general. Choose one or a few (or several) that have features you like, and put these in a folder somewhere so you can reference them for details when describing the castle. You might even choose to create an aesthetic collage highlighting the most important features.

2) Take a Field Trip (Virtually or For Real)

Pictures are great, but what’s even better is being able to “walk around” in inspiration locations. If one of the locations in your story is a beautiful estate home, look and see if there are any old estate homes near you that have been made into museums or offer tours. Even if it’s not exactly like the one you imagine, being able to walk around in an actual estate home can help you get into the heads of your characters as they inhabit the one in your story. You will probably even learn about features and details you can include in the house in your story. If you can’t visit such a place, look online to see if there are any that offer virtual tours or even video tours. Check YouTube to see if anyone has posted video of the location. Once again, just seeing an inspiration location rendered in 3D can help flesh out the details in your mind’s eye.

3) Create Maps and Layouts for Reference

If you can really understand where things are situated in relation to everything else, it can help you envision what you’re describing. For that reason, it’s worth taking the time to draw out maps, layouts, and floor plans for the places in your story. These don’t have to be fancy or anything you’d ever share with anyone. Just pencil drawings to mark down what’s where can be enough.

4) Learn Relevant Terminology

It’s pretty difficult to come up with an interesting description of a place if there are all sorts of features you can’t name. Is there a name for that kind of window? Those kinds of trees? That type of stone? That style of architecture? YES!!! And this is another reason why inspiration photos are so important… when you find a detail you like, such as a particular style of window, you can look up “window styles” and learn the actual name for what you want to describe. “She gazed up at the elegant Palladian window…” sounds a better than, “She gazed up at the elegant window with the narrow arch in the middle and two smaller windows on either side.”

5) Make Descriptive Word Lists

Once you have a pretty good idea of the place you want to describe, why not sit down and make some descriptive word lists you can pull from when describing the place. If you know there’s a scene where your character is walking around the castle at night, make a list of words related to darkness and night. Consider the emotions your character might experience during this journey and make a list of relevant emotional words. If there’s a scene where your character attends a jubilant ball, create word lists related to festivities, dancing, socializing, etc. By keeping these handy while you write the scene, you’ll find it’s a bit easier to put words to the things you’re imagining. If a word doesn’t quite work in the moment, look for an alternative on thesaurus.com, then crosscheck it at m-w.com to make sure you’re using it right.

I hope that helps!

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Have a question? My inbox is always open, but make sure to check my FAQ and post master lists first to see if I’ve already answered a similar question. :)

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“This is Willo. She likes to awoo while she eats. Tonight’s meal was worthy of a gentler, but perhaps more meaningful, second awoo. 13/10″ (🔊)

(Source)

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ahdjakak oh my GOD!!

also:

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How to have a good internet experience in 8 easy steps

#1 - Stop having a bad faith interpretation of every thing you read

If you think something someone said might have been something you disagree with, instead of starting an argument, ask them to clarify or ask them specific questions about what they said

You will be so surprised to find that half the people you assume are being shitty or negative just didn't phrase what they meant very well

#2 - Learn to block people

It's free, it's easy, and it will save your life. Tired of someone tagging your stuff with characters from a fandom you don't like? Don't try to control them by telling them not to, just fucking block them. Less upsetting to them, less work for you, less inflammatory, more effective.

#3 - Don't share your entire backstory with strangers on the internet

No one is entitled to your information - not your pronouns, your age, your sexuality, your location, nothing.

Share the things that you're comfortable with, but remember that the more you share, the more vulnerable you make yourself to attacks. Like, do not share your triggers in your bio. You are giving abusers and harassers a to do list. Keep that shit private for your own safety.

You can get harassed, you can get stalked, you can get doxxed. Internet safety is real and necessary and the less we care about it, the more we set up future generations to get hurt through the internet

#4 - Learn to say, "It's none of my business."

Don't understand someone's desire to use neo pronouns? None of your business. Can't understand why someone is a furry? None of your business. Curious about how someone who talks about being poor can have a Starbucks in that last selfie they posted? None of your damn business.

If you don't like certain things on your dash, unfollow or block people. If you don't understand how someone can identify a certain way or do a certain thing or like a certain thing or feel a certain way or literally anything, just remember, it's none of your business.

If you have genuine questions from a place of good faith (i.e. what inspired you to use neopronouns?/what do you pronouns mean to you?) Go for it. But if you're only asking questions to draw negative attention to someone or make them feel bad or to other them, you're just being a nosy asshole.

Minding your own business is also good for you because - and I mean this genuinely - feeling entitled and superior is fucking exhausting. I know, because I've been 20 before. You will have a way better time online if you just stop caring about shit that doesn't concern you

#5 - Learn to lurk

Lurking is frequently seen as a bad thing, like someone who's lurking is somehow being creepy. The truth is, lurking is a great way to learn. More people should do it.

For example, if you're new to a community, spend some time consuming content and information from that community without saying anything. This goes for fandoms, queer spaces, disabled spaces, cultural spaces, etc.

Nothing is worse than being in a community for years and someone popping in for the first time in their life and airing their opinions loudly and with zero respect for the space. A great example of this is that post someone made about the leather pride flag. You know the one.

(If you don't, basically, someone said that the leather pride flag is embarrassing and insulting to the queer community and has no place at pride and then got schooled by hundreds of people about how the leather pride flag is one of the oldest flags in the queer community and leather daddies and leather dykes were the people on the front lines protecting other queer people from cops back in the 80s and 90s)

So basically, learn the history of a community, research your opinions before you decide they're your opinions, and keep your ignorance to yourself until you're not ignorant anymore. Not only is this better for community spaces, you won't have 9000 notifications of people telling you to shut the fuck up

Learning to lurk to educate yourself about a space also makes actually speaking in that space a lot easier

#6 - Stop believing everything you read

I'm not talking about stupid funny stories. Believe them - it's not hurting anything to get a laugh out of something that may or may not have happened.

I'm talking about news and current events. If you hear that some celebrity did something and there are no receipts, go and find the receipts or discard it. People spread misinformation on here all the damn time. It's like a game of telephone and, unfortunately, a lot of small creators end up getting slandered and canceled because of it.

#7 - Quit wasting energy on hating random shit

Being annoyed by a certain fandom is one thing, but actively hating things that other people do just because you're not into it is such a waste of your energy. Not only are you actively putting more negativity into the world, you're wasting your own time on things that upset you.

Focus your time and energy on the things you do like and quit scrolling through Tumblr user AnimeIReallyHate7648's discourse blog. You might think it's fun, but there comes a point where hating something goes from kind of fun to actually obsessive and unhealthy for you as a person.

#8 - Unlearn purity culture

This is a big one guys. What is purity culture? It's referenced a lot, but I think a lot of you don't know what it is.

In short, purity culture is when people take many nuanced situations and try to divide them into black and white categories. There's the Good category and the Bad category. The problem is, life is not in black and white. You can't put a neat line down the middle between good and bad. This kind of thinking is extremely regressive. Ask any therapist alive and they will tell you that black and white thinking is unhealthy and often a Symptom of Something.

So, what happens is, someone sees something on the good side and spots something they think is morally objectionable in it and says, "this can't be here, it needs to go to the Bad side." (Cancel culture). The problem is, people are always on the lookout for anything wrong in the Good - constantly looking for impurities so that they can completely sanitize things and therefore be free of sin. So they will look harder and harder and harder and keep moving things to the Bad side of the line until there's basically nothing left on the Good side.

This ends up meaning that perfectly good media is canceled because every character in it didn't make the perfect, right choice every time. It damages media in that it demands characters be completely flawless - something no human is. When a character does something that's actually problematic, even if the media doesn't condone the behavior, instead of engaging with it and using it as an opportunity to learn and teach other people why that wasn't okay, people who subscribe to purity culture throw the baby out with the bathwater, saying the entire piece of media should be canceled because its creators support the problematic action of that character (even if they don't).

This entire line of thinking is extremely unhealthy, heavily informed by Christianity, infantilizes adults, assumes no one can distinguish fiction from reality, and promotes censorship, which has a long and sordid history.

I could go on about this at length, so if anyone wants a full post, just let me know. But the point is, purity culture is bad for community, it's bad for media, it's bad for healthy emotional and intellectual development, it's bad for interpersonal understanding and empathy, and it's bad for you.

Unlearn purity culture and you will be a happier person. If all else fails, remember step #4.

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Season Cleanse by Hero Bean Stevenson

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i can hear god in these note changes

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Magic Costs

One of the primary tenets of a good magic system is the existence of some sort of cost for that magic being used. There are numerous ways to do this, and I can’t list all of them here, but here are some main ways of doing this:

Finite resources: In this case, a character has a set amount of magic they can access, and there simply is no more magic that they can use. Generally in these cases magic is renewable and can be recharged through ritual, rest, or even just time. It can be written so a person can increase their magic reserves through practice, in the same way that a person can get more muscle, but you don’t have to go down that route.

Exhaustion/toll on the body: In this case, a person doesn’t necessarily have a finite amount of magic that they can theoretically use, but using magic draws from their own physical resources. This is often down in the form of exhausting a person, but you can also have it take any other sort of toll on a person’s body. This can also be done in conjunction with the finite resources, as with chakra in Naruto, where a person has x amount of chakra and the more they use, the more exhausted they get. You can either have automatic shut-off points (a person will pass out before they use enough to kill them) or make it so characters have to make sure they don’t actually kill themselves using too much magic.

Requires sacrifice: In this case, an internal or external sacrifice is required to do magic, or to do powerful magic. This is often used in ritual magic, in part because sacrifices generally take time, but if you can figure out how to make a sacrifice part of an immediate magic system, that can work to. A sacrifice in this case can be blood, a memory, a life, or whatever else you want to make it.

Requires outside object: In this case, the person has to have/be using some sort of outside object (a wand, a staff, an amulet, etc.) to do magic. This is more of a restriction than a cost, but you can have the object be limited-use only, where either the magic needs to be renewed after a certain amount of use or it’s burned through entirely.

Toll on the environment: In this case, the magic doesn’t pull from the person itself but from the environment amount them, taking a toll on that environment as it does. That toll can be pulling literal energy out of the air (making it colder), it can be killing plant- or animal-life around the person, it can be any number of things.

Opens one up to other things: In this case, magic opens one up to outside influences (the dark side, the forces of evil, etc.). I’ve seen it does as making a person more open to mental illness, but that’s something you want to be really careful about, especially if you don’t have a mental illness yourself. This one in particular can be tricky, but there are ways to make it work.

There are many other forms of costs for magic, and you don’t need to use any of these if they don’t work for your story, but they’re a jumping-off point to work from.

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(via)

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Smol floof, big awoooo