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on earth we’re briefly gorgeous - ocean vuong | she’s got you - patsy cline | for all the dogs who barked at me on the sidewalks in connecticut - hanif abdurraqib |  the glass essay - anne carson | a memory like a knife - julien pacuad | arzum uzun | you are happy - margaret atwood | this is what i have of you - fun home

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Photo by Ira Martelo 500px | instagram | prints ☕️ Buy me a coffee?

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African Canvas Margaret Courtney-Clarke

The Art of Africa is a casualty of colonial exploitation, surviving principally in the museums of other countries. ~ Nadine Gordimer

“My objective in this work is to document an extraordinary art form - vernacular art and architecture in West Africa - that is not transportable and therefore not seen in museums around the world. It is an attempt to capture the unseen Africa, a glimpse into the homes and into the spirit of very proud and dignified peoples. In much the same way as I photographed the art of Ndebele women, I have drawn on my personal affinity for the art itself, for methods, design and form, rather than the socio-anthropological or political realities of a people or continent in dilemma. These images portray a unique tradition of Africa, a celebration of an indigenous rural culture in which the women are the artists and the home her canvas.”

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KangHee Kim aka Kang Hee Kim aka 김 강희 aka Tiny Cactus (Korean, b. 1991, Seoul, South Korea, based Brooklyn, NY, USA) - From her series Street Errands and Golden Hour, Photo Collages

MORE:

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Golden Hour meets Purple - The Quantock Hills, Somerset

Photographed by Freddie Ardley

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There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.

hanya yanagihara, a little life // moi, un noir (jean rouch, 1958) // stephen king, it // jane austen, northanger abbey // the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us (sufjan stevens) // yumi sakugawa, i think i am in friend-love with you // it’s nice to have a friend (taylor swift) // right here (maxwell young)

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Oxenfree (2016)

We. Are. The sunken.

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Breaking Clouds

Photographed by Freddie Ardley

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the houses

so when i first started learning about astrology, i found it super difficult to keep track of what each of the houses means. understanding the house system is a huge aspect of understanding your natal chart, so let’s discuss.

angular houses: 

ruled by the cardinal signs, these houses indicate the action you take in life - the first foot you put forward.

1st house - aries - appearance, outward personality, self expression, essential vitality, “mask”

4th house - cancer - home, family life and parents, emotional/psychological foundation, stability, subconscious patterns

7th house - libra - partnerships and relationships, marriage, business interactions, interpersonal conflict or harmony, legal matters

10th house - capricorn - career ambitions and aspirations, public life and recognition, material acquisition, success and goals

succedent houses: 

these houses are ruled by the fixed signs, speaking to what you already have, and what you desire to have - what you value.

2nd house - taurus - possessions, money, material things, material values, skills and earning abilities

5th house - leo - pleasure, entertainment, sex, creativity and creation, procreation and children, recreation

8th house - scorpio - the supernatural/occult/mystical, death and regeneration, legacies, the resources of those around you (think inheritance)

11th house - aquarius - global awareness, humanitarian ideals, group projects and goals, friendships

cadent houses: 

ruled by the mutable signs, these houses can be interpreted as the thought that occurs before action - the analyzation of your self and surroundings.

3rd house - gemini - mental activity, communication, early education, relationships with siblings and cousins 

6th house - virgo - afflictions of the body, health and nutrition, employment, work ethic, injury and illness, service

9th house - sagittarius - higher thinking, religion and philosophy, foreign cultures and customs, expansion of the mind, far travel

12th house - pisces - retreat from the world, isolation, suffering bottled up, the subconscious, karma

quadrant 1 (houses 1 - 3)

self development

“who am i?” “what do i value?” “what do i think?”

quadrant 2 (houses 4 - 6)

self expansion

“what do i feel?” “what do i will?” “what do i analyze?”

quadrant 3 (houses 7 - 9)

self expression

“how do i balance myself with others?” “what do i desire?” “what truth do i seek?”

quadrant 4 (houses 10 - 12)

self transcendence 

“what will i use?” “what do i know?” “what do i believe?”

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“You know, they straightened out the Mississippi river in places, to make room for houses and livable acreage. Occasionally the river floods these places. “Floods” is the word they use, but in fact it is not flooding: it is remembering. Remembering where it used to be. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was.”

— Toni Morrison

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Guo Pei Spring 2017 Haute Couture Collection

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how to keep people in character: a guide

I have gotten some requests for advice on how to write specific characters, but the underlying principles to keeping characterizations canon-compliant can apply to writing anyone in any series. Better yet, this advice may help you come up with character interpretations that feel both canonical yet original (and distinct from mine!).

You can reduce characterization to three basic principles:

1) Habits and speech patterns

Habits and speech patterns serve as “shortcuts” that immediately connect the character to the canon. The audience recognizes these cues and will associate them to the actual character.

Speech patterns are particularly important to keeping a character recognizable. As soon as the speech pattern of a person deviates from canon with no explanation, the suspension of disbelief will break for an audience. A common issue I see in shipping fics is that people will make a character give the love interest a pet name that just would never leave their mouth in canon-compliant situations.

Habits can be verbal tics (e.g. they say “babe” a lot), bodily motions (e.g. touching their hair or pushing up their glasses), behavioural trends (e.g. eating a lot), or even phrases that come up often. The latter I find is underused but very effective. Here’s the thing about people in real life: they will repeat phrases and stories, sometimes even verbatim, to different people! If you lift a line out of the show or book and re-contextualize it, it’ll immediately feel like the canon.

Habits come with two caveats:

Do not overuse the tics. It can be annoying and intrusive, especially when used more frequently than in canon! 

Do not rely too much on these habits for characterization. Your character may come off as a shallow imitation of canon without “substance” if so. 

The next two tips will help give your characterization substance and originality.

2) Drivers in decision-making and thought patterns

People in real life often have patterns in the decisions they make or the thoughts they have because of some kind of underlying motivation, whether or not they are cognizant of it. The same will apply to well-written characters in fiction. Try to think about any significant decisions the character makes in canon and why they might exist. (Hot tip: If these motivations are not explicitly stated in the canon material, this is where you can come up with some extremely juicy headcanons!)

Understanding the fundamental drivers behind the character’s actions will allow you to extrapolate and write what they’d do in the situations in your fanfic. These non-canon situations can include relationships! It’s a common issue for romantic relationships in fanfic to feel OOC because the characters act inconsistently with their canon decision-making and thought patterns solely for their love interest.

Examples of common drivers in fiction:

Abstract values such as freedom, revenge, survival, self-preservation. (If you’re writing anything political, try to figure out how they value conservatism vs liberalism, anarchy vs authoritarianism, etc).

Baggage and trauma relating to familial issues or past relationships, which can often result in maladaptive trends in behaviour or hard-lined moral codes and ideals.

Significant relationships that affect their needs, goals, etc. Pay attention to platonic, familial, or romantic bonds that are strongly featured in the canon.

All these examples are interrelated. Often our abstract values will arise from baggage, which then influence relationships, which in turn influence our values. Try to think about how each of these types of drivers may relate to one another for your characters.

Stories tend to have the most layered characterizations when the author has identified two drivers that are in conflict with one another, or one that leads to opposing behaviours. This can also be the starting point for character growth, whether it’s a hero’s journey or descent into a villain role.

3) Cultural context

Cultural context is a subcategory of drivers that I often find is overlooked. 

The culture in which someone was raised will often influence their decision-making habits, whether they conform to it or outright reject it. Recognizing the cultural context for a character can be very useful for figuring out cool little headcanons or extrapolating behaviour/opinions in the absence of canon material.

Some examples of how culture contributes to behaviour:

The kind of art and hobbies they enjoy, or at least are on their radar. 

Knowledge they would have about certain topics—even mundane things like musical instruments, certain skill sets, etc.

Their judgments on themselves and other characters, as well as the values they’d project onto their relationships.

The actions they would take when trying to conform to social norms of the time period—or even the set of actions that might occur to them!

It’s a pet peeve of mine when characters behave in a way that ignores their cultural context, simply because it won’t feel realistic! Since I’ve been relating this to shipping, I will make this point: what time period and country (or coded culture) is this character in? What are courtship norms like? And, if we’re going to go the nsfw route, what “interests” (haha) would exist?

Here are some quick examples of this analysis applied to two different characters: Hakuryuu Ren (Magi), Daryl Dixon (TWD). These are characters I’ve gotten requests for—let me know if anyone is interested in others!

Keep reading

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Art by Bao Pham *

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TOMAS SARACENO I Our Interplanetary Bodies

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by arielle vey