circlevoyage

[circlevoyage]

Tips for writing those gala scenes, from someone who goes to them occasionally:

Generally you unbutton and re-button a suit coat when you sit down and stand up.

You’re supposed to hold wine or champagne glasses by the stem to avoid warming up the liquid inside. A character out of their depth might hold the glass around the sides instead.

When rich/important people forget your name and they’re drunk, they usually just tell you that they don’t remember or completely skip over any opportunity to use your name so they don’t look silly.

A good way to indicate you don’t want to shake someone’s hand at an event is to hold a drink in your right hand (and if you’re a woman, a purse in the other so you definitely can’t shift the glass to another hand and then shake)

Americans who still kiss cheeks as a welcome generally don’t press lips to cheeks, it’s more of a touch of cheek to cheek or even a hover (these days, mostly to avoid smudging a woman’s makeup)

The distinctions between dress codes (black tie, cocktail, etc) are very intricate but obvious to those who know how to look. If you wear a short skirt to a black tie event for example, people would clock that instantly even if the dress itself was very formal. Same thing goes for certain articles of men’s clothing.

Open bars / cash bars at events usually carry limited options. They’re meant to serve lots of people very quickly, so nobody is getting a cosmo or a Manhattan etc.

Members of the press generally aren’t allowed to freely circulate at nicer galas/events without a very good reason. When they do, they need to identify themselves before talking with someone.

[circlevoyage]

I'm sure I'm saying nothing new here, but there's something that bothers me about how the witch has over time become divorced from a counterculture/challenge to status quo and turned into a cosy, consumable symbol. Just put a witch hat on a character and give them magic powers and they're a witch! I am blaming Harry Potter for this one. For watering down the term "witch" so it refers to any woman with magic powers.

The Witch in the Alps meme template signifies this really well because I think the dissonance of a witch as a symbol of "cosy vibes" highlights the game pitch's disingenuity.

There's a lot to be said about the problems with the original archetypal witch (mostly how it emerges from the othering of certain cultures and beliefs), but in its current common-use manifestation, and reclaimed a few different ways, I think there's value in the essential notion of a character of a marginalised gender whose magical powers are taboo or abjected. Like I think this is a useful evolution of the archetype.

So the...cosification? The iconisation? Of witches bothers me. I see a character wearing a witch's hat (the hat seemingly signifying the witch in whole, now) and it feels like whatever you call it when someone borrows the aesthetic of a subculture without any of the countercultural ideals. A commodification of the witch aesthetic, but not even the aesthetic, just the damn hat! Do away with the hat and give the character powers that other people shun, that's more witch than a cosy cottage lady wearing a pointy hat.

[circlevoyage]

This was going to be a lot longer and more incendiary of a post before rewriting it (making good use of Save to Draft there), but anyway.

As a musician, I do not care about genres, and I do not understand the music community's tendency to posture over the ability to accurately distinguish subsubgenres. and to treat disinterest in that as the mark of a troglodyte.

'cause personally, I really have never felt any desire to develop more than a cursory knowledge about genres. It's mostly useless for describing the way I work (on m own music), and also not very useful for describing my music taste in general.

One of my favourite types of music is "song in major key that uses a strategically placed II chord to create a sense of forward movement" and I've heard music in genres ranging from "EDM" to "hyperpop" to "video game music" to "musical theatre" (??) fall under this exact description.

I'm sure my music must sound like some genre or other, maybe a mishmash, because my biggest influences do have genres...but if anyone's been trying to decide what genre my music is...yeah this is me telling you that it's a fool's errand because even I haven't the least clue.

[circlevoyage]

Questions for Crafting Problematic Characters

Sure, let's simplify and add some guiding questions to help you navigate the complexities of writing problematic characters:

Understanding Your Character's Mind: Dive into your character's thoughts and feelings. What makes them tick? What fears or desires drive their actions? How do their past experiences shape who they are today?

Looking at Past Hurts: Think about any past traumas or tough experiences your character has faced. How do these experiences affect how they behave now? Do they have unresolved issues that come up in their actions?

Considering Society's Impact: How does the world your character lives in affect them? Do they follow the rules or rebel against them? Are there societal norms they struggle with or don't agree with?

Thinking about Power and Privilege: Does your character have power or privilege in certain situations? How does this affect how they treat others? Do they realize their privilege, or are they blind to it?

Exploring Different Identities: What parts of their identity are most important to your character? How do aspects like their race, gender, or sexuality influence their behavior? Do they face discrimination or stereotypes because of who they are?

Dealing with Right and Wrong: Are there times when your character has to make tough decisions? What moral dilemmas do they face? Do they always do what's right, or do they sometimes make mistakes?

Giving Your Character Control: Does your character have control over their own life? How do they make choices and deal with the consequences? Do they have the power to change, or are they stuck in their ways?

Seeing Through Different Eyes: Whose perspective is the story told from? How does this affect how readers see your character? Do readers understand why your character does what they do, or are they left guessing?

Writing with Respect and Responsibility: Are you being respectful to the people or groups your character represents? Have you done enough research to understand their experiences? Are you telling their story in a way that's honest and fair?

Exploring Big Ideas: What themes or messages do you want your story to convey? How do your characters, especially the problematic ones, help explore these ideas? Are you starting conversations about important issues?

In short, understanding your character's past, their place in society, and their moral compass can help you write them more authentically. Remember to approach sensitive topics with care and to give your characters room to grow and change.

[circlevoyage]

@frogmp3

[circlevoyage]

AND THE CROWD GOES WILD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Keep reading

[circlevoyage]

swsh x dppt op

[circlevoyage]

I was watching some live reactions to Avengers: Endgame, and I know it’s been a year since that movie dropped, but I still have thoughts. Mostly extremely positive, nigh-incoherent thoughts.

Keep reading

[circlevoyage]

And with the epilogues and Hussie’s statement on them, I think I can say... 2013 me’s theory has been wholly vindicated and I couldn’t be prouder

I was looking back at my old theories (written in 2013-2014), and I have to say, a lot of this was pretty damn close to what we’ve seen

[circlevoyage]

🤗

[circlevoyage]

They’re best bros 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

[circlevoyage]

opal is fucking terrifying

[circlevoyage]

babies only club :3 pokemon edition

[circlevoyage]

guess what I did this week

some extras under the cut:

Keep reading

[circlevoyage]

I know this spiderman meme’s probably been done to death but I was having art block and wanted an excuse to draw these two.

[circlevoyage]

[circlevoyage]

when you wanna talk about that thing you’re obsessed with but you already said a lot about it and don’t wanna be annoying