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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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Trees, like animals, can also experience albinism, though it is extremely rare.

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Writing Notes: Clothing Textures

When you think of textured clothing, you might imagine a scratchy wool sweater or a soft fur coat, but every clothing item has some kind of texture. The texture of fabric is often determined by the type of weave, so it’s a good idea to get to know the 3 major weave types:

Twill: The distinguishing characteristic of the twill weave is its diagonal rib pattern. Twill weaves have a distinct, often dark-colored front side (called the wale) and a lighter back. Twill has high thread count, which means that the fabric is opaque, thick, and durable, making it perfect for chinos, upholstery, and bed linens. Denim is a twill weave fabric, as are tweed and houndstooth.

Satin weave: The satin weave creates a fabric that is shiny, soft, and elastic with a beautiful drape. Satin fabric has a lustrous surface on one side and a dull, matte surface on the other side. Satin is perfect for haute couture-style dresses and clutches.

Plain weave: Plain weave fabrics, including canvas, taffeta, and muslin, are made by overlapping the warp and weft (vertical and horizontal threads) at right angles. This forms a criss-cross pattern that looks the same on both sides of the fabric.

Common Fabric Textures

The types of fabric you’ll encounter when looking for different textures include:

Denim is a strong cotton fabric with a twill weave that gives it a subtle diagonal ribbing pattern. The diagonal ribbing is what makes denim fabric different from canvas or cotton duck, which are also sturdy, woven cotton fabrics.

Broadcloth is a plain-weave fabric that is traditionally woven from thick wool yarn—the fibres of which felt together as the cloth is made. Broadcloth is sturdy, stiff, and resistant to wind and water.

Seersucker is a type of thin cotton cloth. The way it is woven causes the threads to pucker and bunch, creating crinkles. Seersucker often comes in narrow white and blue stripes and is popular in summer fashion.

Corduroy is a soft, durable fabric. It is distinctive for the tufted cords—called “wales”—that run in parallel along its surface. Corduroy is typically made from cotton, but it can also be made from wool.

Leather is any fabric that is made from animal hides or skin, with cowhide being the most popular.

Suede is a type of leather made from the soft underside of an animal skin. It is softer, thinner, and more delicate than traditional full-grain leather. Suede is ideal for footwear, jackets, and accessories like belts and bags.

Brocade is a particular style of jacquard fabric that uses additional threads to create a raised pattern, resulting in an embossed or embroidered effect. Due to the technique used to make it, brocade fabric is not reversible, and it may appear rough or unfinished on the underside.

Silk is a natural fiber produced by the silkworm. Silk is incredibly durable, with a shine and softness that are unmatched. Silk fabric is used for formal attire and accessories like pocket squares.

Cashmere is a type of fabric made from the wool of cashmere goats and pashmina goats. Cashmere is a natural fiber with an extremely soft feel and great insulation. Cashmere is significantly warmer and lighter than cloth made from sheep’s wool. Often, cashmere is blended with other types of wool, like merino, to give it added weight, since cashmere fibers are very fine and thin.

Jersey is a soft, stretchy knit fabric that was originally made from wool. Today, jersey is also made from cotton, cotton blends, and synthetic fibers. The fabric is usually light-to-medium weight and is used for a variety of cotton clothing items, such as T-shirts.

Flannel is a soft woven fabric typically made from cotton. It is a common material for plaid shirts.

How to Mix and Match Clothing Textures

Texture is an easy way to add visual interest to an outfit. By layering different textures, you can create a distinct look.

Identify neutral textures. Mixing and matching textures is similar to mixing and matching patterns and prints. In the same way that certain classic prints appear neutral, simple textures can serve as a neutral base for wilder textures. Denim, cotton fabric, leather, and suede are some of the most basic textures that play well with other textures. Neutral textures that are smaller and less visible to the naked eye—like merino wool—pair well with more attention-grabbing textures.

Consider a texture’s typical context. Textures evoke specific moods. Silk lends a luxurious vibe to any outfit. A plaid flannel shirt can look cozy with corduroy, but it becomes more serious when paired with a black leather jacket. Denim is a casual texture you can use to dress down other fabrics: Pair a satin tank with jeans—rather than something like brushed wool trousers—for a relaxed yet stylish look. Think about the context in which you might wear a particular material, then pair that material with other textures to subvert expectations.

Mix textures, match colors. Sticking to a more limited color palette will give you free range to play with different kinds of textures. That doesn’t mean you have to dress in monochrome: You can use neutral colors to anchor your look, or choose two or three solid colors that work together.

Source ⚜ More: Notes ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs ⚜ How to Describe Clothing

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Scrivener 3 – a neurodivergence-friendly tutorial series (Masterlist)

If you find my Scrivener stuff useful, please consider supporting me via KoFi! This allows me to make more and keep it available for everyone. I love sharing my stuff freely and don't want to paywall anything, but I also have to eat – every contribution helps and is greatly appreciated!

This is the Masterlist for my (Zaharya's) ADHD-friendly Scrivener 3 tutorial series. It will be continuously updated, i.e. future tutorials will be added here! New tutorials are not guaranteed to be linked/mentioned in previous tutorial posts. Make sure to check here if you're looking for something new! If you cannot find what you're looking for, feel free to send an ask, or message me either on Tumblr or Discord.

Important note: All my tutorials are based on Scrivener for MacOS! Though minor, there are some differences between Scrivener 3 for Windows vs for MacOS, so you may notice a few small discrepancies if you use Scrivener with Windows. There are some tutorials that specifically aim to work around these differences! Further, all tutorials are based on my own personal workflow, and all screenshots are from my personal files, so please don't distribute those elsewhere. My workflow is not universal (duh), and if you use certain features differently that doesn't mean one of us is doing it wrong. You do you! Lastly, the Main Tutorial originated on Discord (with an escalated impromptu explanation for @tackytigerfic – everyone say thank you Tacky), which is probably noticeable in how it's written – I am not changing that, since many people have insisted that this was exactly what made it easier to follow than the official Scrivener tutorial.

I am not affiliated with Scrivener! (Though if you ask me, I bloody well should be, I'd deserve that commission.)

Correction! I do have an affiliate link now — if you haven't bought Scrivener yet (or are showing it to a friend who hasn't), you can help me out by using this link to buy it! I'll get a tiny commission from that, and it costs you nothing.

List of Tutorials

Quick Start Tutorial Intended for newbies

How to create a first project

Brief overview of Scrivener's core features

Main Tutorial

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Intended for everyone – newbies as well as experienced users!

How to create a first project, incl. a brief overview of available templates

Explanation of Scrivener's core and major features in detail

Examples/ideas for how to use these features

Extended Tutorial

Part 1 | Part 2 Intended for everyone Recommended after Main Tutorial (direct continuation)

Covers previously omitted details about the Editor

Covers extended features such as Revision mode, Project Goals, and Writing Statistics

A few things that are "good to know" such as how to copy-paste with HTML formatting, or what placeholders are

Covers fun features such as Linguistic Focus and Name Generator

Compile Tutorial

Part 1 | Part 2 Intended for experienced users who are near completing a project (or ambitious/hyperfocused newbies, of course) Recommended after Main and Extended Tutorial (advanced continuation)

Basic tutorial for compiling a project to different formats

Customisation by assigning different section layouts – incl. explanations of root-structures and section types

Customisation by editing an existing Format, or creating a new Format

Scrivener to AO3 – Updated Export Format (with download link) Part 1

How to create an Export Format that automatically adds AO3-friendly HTML code

Download link for a Format as described, from my Google Drive

Scrivener to AO3 – Extended Export Format (with download link) Part 2

Continuation of the updated export format to enable more complex formatting such as bold, underlined, centered, or block quoted text

Download link for a Format as described, from my Google Drive

Scrivener 3 – Assorted "How To" Tutorials (in progress) Recommended after Main Tutorial

How to create a Table of Contents

How to enable dark mode

How to easily import your projects from Google Docs / Word

General Masterpost | KoFi

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Flaws and Quirks in Male Characters That I’m BEGGING Writers to Explore

✧ Dudes who are bad at sports. Yes, Chad, not every male character needs to throw a perfect spiral in high school. Let him get hit in the face with a dodgeball. Let him (please) suck.

✧ The “pretty boy” who's not vain, just vibing. Like he knows he looks like he walked out of a Renaissance painting but has the self-esteem of a lost ferret.

✧ Shy, awkward boys who don’t magically become suave by Chapter 6. No, he’s still weird at parties and says “you too” when the waiter says “enjoy your meal.”

✧ Flirtatious guys who are actually super respectful. He's flirty but not a walking lawsuit. Shocker. He’s playful, not predatory.

✧ Male friendships that aren't emotionally constipated. Yes, two guys can say “I love you, bro” and not immediately punch each other to cancel it out.

✧ The soft-spoken leader. He doesn’t need to scream orders or have a “gruff, commanding voice.” He just talks, and people shut up and listen because he’s competent.

✧ Dudes with weird hobbies. like, your guy MC collect antique spoons or have a YouTube channel rating old vacuums. Why not. It’s his passion.

✧ Guys who are clingy and insecure in relationships. Not abusive, just genuinely terrified of being left on read for too long. He's trying his best, ok?

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This.

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Is it good with privacy protection?

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Crazy how many people want characters in fiction to speak and act like they’ve had 20 hours of intensive therapy. Could NOT be me I want these bitches fucked up insane

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A king who doesn't really want to and isn't able to run the kingdom properly catches wind of a noble woman who wants to kill him to take over and he realizes she is extremely competent so he decides to propose to her to save everyone the hassle and they have a surprisingly healthy relationship.

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Leaving little notes for my alpha readers to find ✨

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Everything is in the caption

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superhero movies need more women who are overtly frightening

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If anyone wants to know what a leopard seal sounds like 🦷🩸

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When your hamster shoves an entire stick of zucchini in his cheek and then goes about his day. 🤣

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You know what messes me up?

This dinosaur skeleton is incomplete. But, it doesn't look that way to us, because the parts it's missing are parts we don't have.

See how there are ribs on the bottom? Those are called gastralia. That's right, dinosaurs had ribs on their stomachs as well, and modern crocodiles and alligators still have them! (Also, notice that the ribs keep going to the hips instead of stopping above the waist. This is also true of modern birds, and why a bird can't have a concave stomach!)

Next, notice that ring floating in the center of the eye socket? That's called a sclerotic ring! Fish, reptiles, birds--with the exception of mammals (and, oddly enough, crocodilians), pretty much all modern vertebrates still have them! It's literally an eyeball bone. Afaik we haven't found a T-rex specimen with any intact, but since we've found them in other dinosaurs, it's very likely they had them too.

So, keep that in mind next time you see a dinosaur skeleton.

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I bet you she found out before they started going out or shortly into it while he was still trying to hide it.

actually the best part of the new superman movie is the fact that lois and clark have been dating for only three months because that means clark fell so hard he told her his whole ass secret identity in 90 days. fucking u-haul lesbian behavior.

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Writing Advice: So you've broken up with your story?

It happens. More often than people like to admit. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve given up on, and honestly? It just is what it is.

(Ugh, I hate that phrase. But sometimes it’s the only one that fits.)

Falling out of love with a story isn’t the same as falling out of love with writing. It just means that this particular story, this idea, this draft, this “relationship”, isn’t working anymore. So, what do you do?

Sometimes, the cleanest choice is to let go and start fresh. A blank page. A new story. A new idea that isn’t tangled up in frustration or burnout. Treat it like an actual breakup, don’t look back, don’t re-read old scenes, just move forward and create something new.

But what if you still love the story? What if the idea still matters to you, but it just doesn’t feel right?

In that case, I go full Frankenstein. I dig through the wreckage and salvage the parts I still love, characters, moments, world building elements, and transplant them into something else. Something that might work better. Something that gives those good ideas a second chance.

When I used to write fanfics, I had one character who kept showing up in almost every story I started. The plots never worked out, but that character stuck with me. I never found the right story for them at the time, but I wasn’t ready to let them go either. Sometimes, it takes a while for good ideas to find their home.

There’ve been times when I couldn’t let a story go, no matter how much it frustrated me. So, instead of rewriting it line-by-line, I’d restart it entirely, from a fresh angle, with a slightly different tone or theme. Maybe it’s the same world and lore, but it’s got a new coat of paint. A new perspective. And often, that’s enough to spark something new.

Of course, if you’ve been working on something for years, hearing “just start a new story” doesn’t help. You’ve invested time, effort, and emotion, and walking away from that can feel like a failure. I get it. I’ve been there. It sucks.

When I’m feeling that way, I step back. Not forever. Just for a week. A little space. Then, if I still care about the story but can’t see how to fix it, I give it to a friend. A fresh pair of eyes can see things you might've missed after staring at the same sentence for the hundredth time.

I once dreaded editing a section of a manuscript I was certain was weak. But when a friend read it, they told me it was one of the strongest parts. That little bit of outside perspective snapped me out of my spiral and reminded me that maybe the story wasn’t broken, perhaps I was just too deep in it.

People say writing is a solo act, but to me, it’s a dance. You and your story need to move in sync. You need rhythm. You need trust. You need to know when to lead and when to let the story take the next step. And when that rhythm’s off, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. It just means that maybe, for now, this story isn’t the one.

But that doesn’t mean it’s over forever. Some stories come back to you years later. Some characters don’t shut up until you finally find the right place for them. Others quietly fade, and that’s okay, too.

If you’ve broken up with a story, you’re not alone. You’re not a failure. You’re just evolving.

Keep writing. The next dance partner might be the one that fits just right.