#and the sad thing is this applies to so many

[the-traveling-poet]

TW for personal rant. I just need this off my chest and this place feels safe enough briefly use as a personal diary lol.

Yknow, I think it needs noting that just because you have an opinion it doesn’t make you a fuckin higher status human being.

Like congrats, you have opinions. We all do. The world doesn’t revolve around you and what you think. You’re not a fuckin scholar for siting one website and claiming you’re absolutely correct because you said so. ‘Cant be me; I’m the best. I always have been cause my thoughts have always been superior to anyone else’s without any need for physical proof or written evidence of my claims.’

Pls get over your own enormous ego and remove your head from your ass, cause I’m sorry but if the shoe fits, look inward and reflect. Do us all that favor and get off your self proclaimed throne.

[sysig]

Ah, childhood memories (Patreon)

[always-anxious-skychild]

how do you have so many candles!?

Short answer: Season passes and lack thereof, and allowing myself not to like every item in Sky.

Long answer because I'm a yapper:

1) Not having season passes for the last couple of seasons means I can simply get the items that I want, skip the rest that I don't, and just save the remaining daily season candles for post-season conversion.

2) However, having passes from the seasons years ago means the only thing I buy from recent new/first time traveling spirits are their wing buffs (and that won't change until like... Remembrance TS, I think?)

3) Being a player since Prophesy (which was back from 2020) also means that I already bought everything that I want from recent repeating traveling spirits.

4) I don't buy what I don't like/what I think I'll never use. I don't have the Feast Table or the Bloom Fountain or the Nature Cape even now. I don't have the cape from the sunglasses spirit of Sanctuary or the white fluffy cape from Gratitude. I skip buying items if I'm running out of candles like I didn't have rainbow/color pants until its second rerun. (For example: If I didn't have the current TS fully complete from my Performance pass, I'll genuinely only buy the guitar.)

5) I continue to candle run. No, I only occasionally do a full realm candle run; however, I always make sure to get 3-5 candles a day, at least.

[thanks--for--listening]

reading through blood of Olympus for the second time almost hurts as much as the first

[scattered-winter]

i want sooooo badly to lash out and pull away from everyone but the god damn people pleaser in me .

[cherrygarden]

,

[seilon]

you really don’t realize just how common smoking still is in the states until you work at a restaraunt

[simptasia]

sometimes i see somebody say an actor is ugly and i can't help but wonder if that person has ever been on a bus

[stillfruit]

it's so difficult to articulate the feelings i get when i see my friends engaging in healthy and good behaviors like asking for emotional support and taking the time they need to arrive because i just can't and i know i'm wrong for it but it still feels incredibly isolating

[cruelsister-moved2]

what you eat has an impact on the environment thats just a fact. how u choose to mitigate that might be trying to use locally sourced produce, it might be growing your own, it might be reducing meat intake, it might be supporting community food initiatives, it might just be buying un-packaged produce or avoiding out-of-season fruit, or maybe ur not in a position to do anything. but stop fucking listening to people who tell you that the other regular people who choose to do a different thing from this list than you do are the enemy to distract you from who’s really creating the problem. if you spend more time railing at vegans than you do at monsanto and cargill and ADM then you’re literally falling into the same trap as someone who makes 40k and complains about the minimum wage being increased

[lilac-nites]

i really wished I had downloaded more of the jfashion mags when i had the chance. I feel like its something to be archived even if there were a lot of issues with it.

[allbuthuman]

i am actually none of the official types of neurospicy but a secret new one that they made just for me

[earlyspringtranscendence]

i wish betting on wrestling was like a thing because while i would never win if i bet on anything else (am bad at recognising patterns that actually mean anything) i would cash in soooooo much because i can ALWAYS tell when a jericho feud’s gonna run way too long again 😌

[kuiinncedes]

bro

[arolesbianism]

Hi guys guess who's literally shaking rn from excitement

[3hks]

How to Write REALISTIC and SMOOTH Dialogue

In a story, dialogue is quite important, it helps the readers paint a picture of what's happening and the characters themselves. However, it can be difficult to avoid the unnaturalness and choppiness that comes with a lack of experience. But luckily, I have put together A LOT of advice on how you can get over that rockiness and improve!

*** KEEPING YOUR DIALOGUE REALISTIC, AND PACING ***

>> Keep your characters in character:

Dialogue is a remarkably quick way for readers to determine your character's personality. Thus, you want their speech patterns to remain fairly consistent so the audience won't get confused. If your character is more serious, then they will use less slang and perhaps a more impressive vocabulary. If your character is more relaxed, they will use more slang and compress the words. (such as "dunno," "kay," "y'know," etc.)

Basically, you want their tone to match their traits so the way that they talk is more realistic and personlized to themselves. If the way all your characters speak is the same, there's something wrong. A strong tip is to put yourself in your character's shoes and imagine how they would respond!

>> Take the situation into consideration:

This is another part of keeping your characters in, well, character. Different emotional situations will have a different effect on separate people, so make sure that you have an idea of how your character will act during stressful, irritating, and sad times.

If your character is normally cold, they will struggle if it comes to comforting other people because they have less experience in that field.

>> Don't take too long with their words:

Unlike when narrating something, most people talk just to get the idea across. They will be more specific and quicker with what they say. (This excludes any character who likes to talk a lot.) Unless it's on purpose, they won't dance around the topic. Think of when you casually chat with your friends; you're pretty unlikely to use certain words and/or phrases that might be common to use while narrating.

If you want to explain something complicated, instead of writing out a paragraph of just one person talking, use a question-and-answer prompt! This is where another character continuously asks related questions that get answered by another person, so you can indirectly reveal your explanation.

*** HOW TO WRITE A SMOOTHER CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE TAGS***

>> Having a variety of dialogue tags:

This is a pretty basic thing to look out for if you're new to writing conversations. Using words like "said," every other sentence can easily make it feel choppy and robotic. Instead, use words like "murmured," "smirked," etc. to paint some emotion into their words. Additionally, vary the location of the dialogue tags! They don't all have to go after the statement, you can include something in the beginning or even the middle, too!

Examples:

Beginning - She tilted her head, "What are you talking about?"

Middle - "Oh," he blinked, "I actually never thought about that."

End - "Wait up!" She exclaimed loudly, waving her hands around.

>> Using no dialogue tags to create a smooth conversation:

Having too many tags can also overwhelm your reader--remember, sentence variety is a crucial part of writing--so you can always drop them if they're unneeded. This applies when your characters (two is the suggested amount) are talking back and forth in a pattern straightforward enough for the reader to understand who's talking without it having to be labeled.

Dropping dialogue tags in these moments can create a smoother atmosphere during the conversation because the reader only has to focus on the talking present.

*** USING SLANG, STUTTERS, FILLER WORDS, AND PAUSES ***

Human speech is often not perfect; when talking, we often make mistakes such as filler words, grammatically incorrect phrases, etc. Hence, for more natural-sounding dialogue, it's important to incorporate some of these.

>> Pauses and stutters:

When reading dialogue, we read it at a steady pace unless it's written otherwise. However, that steady pace can soon get too robotic and too smooth. Luckily, there are several ways to change this! You can use dialogue tags, (ex: she quickly spoke) commas, and ellipsis (...). These are often integrated when the character is hesitant, nervous, answering something, or when they need to admit something. The same idea applies to stutters--they're mainly used to demonstrate anxiousness, which can be found in varying situations.

>> Filler words and slang:

Filler words can really just be used where you see fit. They may be used in the situations I previously mentioned (because it shows someone stumbling over their words) but it's ultimately up to you!

Slang, just like everything else, should not be used too often, or it will seem forced and exaggerated. The point is to sound natural, and increasing amounts of repetitiveness can ruin it. It's also important to remember that in real life, our conversations move slower; when someone speaks, another person usually doesn't respond quite literally, right after. However, in writing, dialogue can actually often seem that way, which is why using tags and these imperfections of speech is pivotal for building a realistic conversation!

*** CONCLUSION ***

Lastly, a key point when writing dialogue is to ALWAYS read the conversations! Whether it be in your head or out loud, it can often help you catch anything that seems off! Additionally, like I mentioned at the very beginning, write dialogue from your character's perspective! Imagine yourself as them and how they/you would talk. Try to keep your dialogue tags, sentences, and word use varied to create a natural conversation!

If you were struggling before, I hope that this (extra) long guide was able to really offer you some insight and useful tips! If you read this far, thank you!

Happy writing~

3hks <3