#i just tend to write how i write and if people think i should incorporate other aspects they can tell me and i will consider it

[altarfates]

[aphrothiti]

Anuradha: Love as Divine Devotion (ft. FKA Twigs)

(This was originally intended as a birth time speculation post but it evolved to be an Anuradha exploration in general so I’ve retitled it)

Since it’s up for debate with her C rated birthtime, imo FKA Twigs is an Anuradha, or atleast a Scorpio, ascendant.

The first thing that strikes me about her appearance are her rounded full face and her athleticism. She has incorporated pole dancing and martial arts into her performances before so she’s quite strong if it wasn’t evident from her build. I can’t imagine her not having her Jyestha moon and Anuradha mars in the first house

I’ve seen various people speculate mula asc and I totally see it but for the reasons I just mentioned she just has to be a scorpio rising for me..

The reason I think Anuradha specifically is moreso based on vibes. She has an ethereal otherworldly quality to her which has been attributed to Saturn nakshatras in some texts, since as far as I’m concerned it’s not coming from nodal influence. From watching interviews she seems to have a certain dryness to her, partially coming from her slow paced and smooth way of speaking. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it awkwardness in her case but Saturn nakshatras tend to be a bit stiff in how they articulate themselves. You can read a more indepth exploration of this quality here by invenusworld

Her album MAGDALENE is very Anuradha to me. Very devotional in a way both deeply religious and romantic. In her song Mary Magdalene, she personifies herself as this nourishing divine presence;

“Yes, I heard you needed me, Yes, I’m here to open you”

“I can take you higher, I do it like Mary Magdalene, I’m what you desire”

Twigs writes; “Let’s just imagine for one second: Say Jesus and Mary Magdalene are really close, they’re together all the time. She’s his right hand woman, she’s his confidante, she’s healing people with him and a mystic in her own right …. It’s easier to call her a whore, because as soon as you call a woman a whore, it devalues her. I see her as Jesus Christ’s equal.”

This idea of Mary Magdalene and Christ being devoted lovers on equal standing is somewhat reminiscent of Radha, Hindu Goddess of love and devotion linked to Anuradha nakshatra. Her relationship with Krishna is famous for being one of pure divine companionship and love.

Krishna is one of the Trimurti, a potential parallel to how Christ is part of the Holy Trinity. Their high status within their respective religions making them fulfil the Jyestha/Indra “Chief of the Gods” archetype in this specific context as Anuradha’s yoni consort.

Mythological details may vary, but one story is is that Radha was cursed for 100 years to be separated from Krishna and ultimately could not marry him, as was Mary Magdalene separated and not able to marry Christ when he was crucified and then ascended to Heaven.

Both of these religious examples are allegories for human/earthly vs divine love and the simultaneous transcendence and inevitable separation between them.

(There’s also a doomed yuri where an anuradha moon character fully devotes herself to a character that has to inevitably ascend to godhood and leave her behind… far too niche to mention in this post though)

A theme that is more closely linked to FKA Twigs’ use of this story, is the idea that despite being Christ’s hypothetical equal, Mary Magdalene is diminished as a whore and in no means held to with the same level of respect. This can be tied to Anuradha’s positioning between Vishaka and Jyestha, both nakshatras associated with high status due to Indra’s rulership. Anuradha in theory should have similar qualities of extreme greatness too, as it’s placed between them, but it has its glory humbled by Saturn despite this. Instead of prioritising personal status (emphasised in the Jyestha phase) Anuradha finds itself nourishing others as a divine act, much like its Saturnian predecessor Pushya.

Anyways back to FKA Twigs:

She is also very Jyestha but it’s her moon and in the 1st house so it’ll come out pretty strong anyway. But then again the reverse could be argued with her Anuradha mars. Therefore I’m not going to compare appearances since both nakshatras will be prominent + I am very open to being wrong

My final note on her though is that she is an uttaraphalguni virgo ketu, which @vennavenus (sorry for the tag) has extensively covered as being connected to the archetype of divine femininity as nourishing and prosperous, again a primary idea explored in Twigs’ album.

[factual-fantasy]

26 asks! Thank you! :}}} 🪲

Oh absolutely I do. That's why I always ask before drawing anyone's OCs, or using/modifying their original meme templates, or anything of the sort. Friends and strangers alike.

And same goes for AU ideas. In the past I've seen a really cool idea for an AU and tracked down the OP and asked if I could incorporate their idea into my AU as well. I do my very best to do this for other artists because its what I wish people would do for me.👍👍

I have a master post for all my Octonauts artwork here. 👍

@ripchaos69

I'm really proud of/pleased with how this fairy piece came out! :DD

I also really like how this pixelated cat came out! :)

I was very pleased with how WALL-E cam out in this piece!

I also think this is one of the best drawings of Optimus I've ever done! :))

Even if I knew the answer, that's probably not something I should share online anyways is it?

@mothpendragon

I remember not liking him at all the first time I watched the show. But now watching it a second time years later, I think he's really not that bad. :0 In fact I don't know why I disliked him so much back then.

There are some parts about his character that annoy me. But most of that either is good character writing or isn't his fault. I don't like how immature he tends to be, but of course he's immature. He's still basically just a kid who hasn't experienced much of this war.

And when things get rough, he really straightens out and tries his best to be serious and obedient. Which is very nice to see.

Another thing that I don't like is how the phase shifter was kind'a overused. It became his signature weapon that he used to bail him out of everything. Smokescreen has demonstrated that he's actually pretty clever and slick, it would have been fun to see him trick or outsmart the cons more often instead of just using the phase shifter to save his aft every time. But again, this is not Smokescreens fault at all. Its the writers fault for making his use it so much.

And lastly, something that really made me like Smokescreen was the whole thing that happened with Optimus nearly dying. Smokescreen freaking out at the prospect of becoming a Prime felt really real. Instead of being honored and having and having an inflated ego like I thought he might for some reason- he was terrified.

And him panicking and using the forge to repair Optimus last second felt very real. I could really understand how Smokescreen must have felt, wanting to follow Optimus's orders and restore their home, but also being unable to bare the responsibility of being a Prime. Eventually dragging Optimus back to the land of the living and throwing away any hope of restoring the Omega lock.

If I was better at analyzing characters, I would have loved to draw a comic about what happens right after Optimus was repaired.

My first thought is Smokescreen feeling guilty and ashamed of having used the forge against Optimus's wishes. Would Smokescreen crumble? Fall to his knees, crying and apologizing? "I'm so sorry Optimus- I just couldn't do it-- I couldn't do it, I cant be a Prime- I couldn't-- w-we couldn't lose you.." Is that in character? Honestly I have no idea. 😔

I've thought about doing that for my lineless style, but I haven't gotten around to it.. 😓

If someone goes out of their way to comment on your post/in your ask box saying you're cringe for liking transformers, block the all the way to the sun and back.

What a jerk. I wouldn't be friends with anyone who goes around insulting/trying to upset people for no reason like that. Block them and don't accept/respond any phony apology they might throw your way. They knew they were being rude when they sent that message and deserve to be blocked.

Dude I would take that so fast. No one in my family would ever have to work or have debt ever again 😭

I figure if I ever feel like drawing/posting Octonauts art again, I would just put it behind a paywall on my Ko-fi. Which ngl I've thought about doing a lot recently with the new movie that came out.

But also- I would have no way of filtering out people for that private blog because how am I supposed to know who will and wont steal my artwork just by looking at their account? And when it did get stolen, I would have no way of knowing which follower did it-

I believe I've mentioned it before, but I didn't want to watch Rescue bots because its attached to Transformers: Prime <:/

Its supposed to be connected to Prime, but its rather baby-ified. The tone is much more light hearted, the plot of Rescue bots completely rewrites/contradicts the plot of Prime, Optimus comes back to life for no reason. Stuff like that.

Atm I'm only interested in Prime 😔

@kitkat1003

OUGUHHH SO REALLLLL 😭😭😭😭

REALLL I've only ever found ship fics😔😔😔 I'd love to see an aftermath fic with no romance involved.

@virtualworldfp5

That's a really cool idea! :D Great artwork too! :))

@badlyblurry

Man, if I had a nickel for every time Jeffery Combs played a character with some sort of scientist background and that had some form of contact with a green chemical compound that holds harmful properties to one body in a way, I'd have 3 nickels. Which isn't a lot but its weird that it happened 3 times. XD

@anonymous-red-shades

I'd definitely want to be something that can fly :00 But I don't think I'd wanna fly super fast because i wanna enjoy the scenery.. hmmm.. maybe a helicopter or a classic pontoon plane? :000

As for abilities... uhhhhhhh the only special abilities I know that transformers can have is the warping thing that Skywarp does. I don't know of any other powers <:0 Maybe an ability to change into more than one alt mode..? So I could be a submarine and go underwater? Or maybe the ability to breathe underwater or something? :00

(Referencing this post)

They're so unhinged I swear 😔

@chickenmilk120 (Referencing this post)

NOT YOU TOO-

@cherrycreamfairy

I couldn't find any websites that didn't make my anti virus tweak out <XD So the only villain I like from memory is Captain Gantu from Lilo and Stitch.

I still like it yeah :0 but I'm not really engaging in any Mandalorian media atm-

@minnesotamedic186

Okay the killing part aside a Plymouth Fury is an excellent choice of car ngl. Especially a fiery red 💅💅💅

@axolotlcookie0

The fact that it looks like Thomas's face has been bagged makes it even funnier XDDD

@wolfie-777

XD I actually think of that a lot yeah. I always tell myself "oooo I should draw that later" but I never do XD💀

@beryl-shade

Bibi would probably use it as intended. Sharpening and cleaning his claws💅💅

Meanwhile Cici would use it as a weapon to beat up Jangles and Gerald with XDD

What was his real name supposed to be in that continuity then? XD

@milk-powrit

References. Looooots and looooot of references.

Typically I use references of realistic skeletons. But if there's a part of the body that I just cant seem to draw right, then I look up drawings of skeletons to see how other artists drew that part. 👍

@beryl-shade

Oh no doubt they'll have an episode that takes place around the lake and the fair grounds(?) The theme park next to the main tent-

The fact that Caine mentioned their existence at all implies that an episode is going to take place there. At least for me-

[milunalupin]

hello !!   I just found your page, and your work is very good! If you’re willing to, I thought I would ask if you could write an Ominis x FMC piece where the FMC is actually a major fan of history and tends to go on a hyperfixiated rant whenever she’s asked about it, but seeing how many people don’t care for the subject, especially Ominis, she feels embarrassed and stops midway. With that, maybe you could incorporate ominis comforting her? or possibly him trying to seem engrossed in the subject to impress her?

thank you for your request, i hope you like it ! :)

— mon amour, mon ami

ominis gaunt x reader ★ 535 words

If you asked any of the students at Hogwarts, they would say that History of Magic was their least favorite class. That would be because of Professor Binns, whose constant droning on did nothing but put the class to sleep. A midday lesson would keep you drowsy for the rest of the day. Not that History of Magic was a particularly boring subject, but the professor enjoyed talking about his own past too much to really learn anything.

You were the exception.

Despite doing quite well academically, even Ominis couldn't fight against the way his eyes fell shut during the ghost professor's draining lectures. He doesn't understand how you can stay bright eyed and upright during them.

"Tell Sebastian he should be more careful. Him and that friend of his have been in the Hospital Wing more times than I can count. They're one dragon claw away from getting sent to St. Mungo's." you had told him one day, sitting side by side in the Transfiguration Courtyard. "Speaking of, they should be careful with dragons, in general. We just learned about Dragon Pox you see, and Professor Binns said..."

Ominis smiled to himself, wondering how you could work on your Divination essay, the Arithmancy extra credit work, and in the nicest way possible, prattle on about your History of Magic lesson.

If it was your lovely voice speaking to him, perhaps the dangers of Peruvian Vipertooths and ancient illnesses would interest him more.

Ominis kept rubbing his eyes, having stayed up last night studying. He didn't make it to breakfast that morning, needing to sleep in, so you were catching him up on Sebastian's latest adventure. The dumb sod tried to clear a whole mountain troll den on his own, his plans on finding a rare plant having failed. This woke him up, he could put his newly acquired knowledge to use.

"You know what else failed?" Ominis piped up, switching his wand between his clammy hands, "The Werewolf Code of Conduct that was developed in 1637. It's a shame that no one felt safe enough to reveal themselves as werewolves and sign it."

"Very true. You know, my cousin knew a girl whose uncle was a werewolf and- hey-" you brows knitted together, turning "How did you know?"

"Last week's lesson."

"Obviously it was last weeks lesson, but you hate History of Magic!"

He chuckled nervously, "It's been growing on me."

"Ominis that's wonderful!" you gasped, both hands coming to hold onto his arm. "You know, I was talking to Professor Binns the other day and we're going to have a project on wandlore in a few weeks. We could partner up and get started on it early!"

His heart rate picked up as you squeezed his arm with excitement, nodding in agreement because he could never say no to you.

"Perfect! I was thinking we could go to Ollivander's and ask for some samples of the different types of wand wood. I also already started researching wand wilting, and Stella from Potions said she'd let me take a look at hers since it's hazel wood! Did you know..."

No, he laughed inwardly. Ominis had no idea about what you were rambling on about.

[miimo96]

People love to talk about how All star Superman and James Gunn's are the perfect representations of hope and how Superman should be portrayed, meanwhile I feel like we tend to forget that in reality it's actually THIS film; If ya want a quote unquote "Punk rock" Superman film about Hope then look no further than this movie, this has the exact same message but in my opinion better executed and in all honestly has a way better understanding of handling the themes of its story with portraying Superman and what he stands for, while also perfectly representing humanity as a whole and what hope truly means in the end,

like is it right or considered old fashioned not to support what the Elite do because of the fact that it's Wrong or is this just simply the new way of things, is kindness and compassion really outdated? This movie puts things into perspective and puts Superman's testament of hope to the test while also showcasing just how much Superman HOLDS BACK every day and could easily be just as Terrifying as the next Homelander, INVINCIBLE or Snyder if he wanted to, but its his will and determination to strive for a better future that is what keeps him from crossing that line and WHY we all love him to begin with, his MORALITY; reinforcing this idea that there IS still hope and good not just in people but the world in general and that it's not something to simply forget or tarnish,

Another thing I love about this film is how simple it is, from using obscure characters you've probably never heard of before, to telling a simple story of hope and what the blue boyscout stands for/represents, to even having a cool villain who is not only relatable but also challenges Superman's ideals with his modern day of thinking, all while best of all incorporating a ton of silly comic book details like having Superman's fortress needing a giant key to open rather than just using his DNA or even a cooler thing like having the beloved super bots actually playing a simple yet important role in the climax rather than just having them be there because comics, honestly, I'm surprised James Gunn didn't use THIS as his major source of inspiration when writing Superman because it's basically just like his movie but a bit better, is that a huge Hot take to say? Yes, but honestly I don't really care in my opinion this is still The BEST Superman film I've ever seen aside from Christopher Reeves Superman 2 and I highly recommend on watching it if ya haven't already, to put it simply while All star Superman and SUPERMAN may have showed us WHO Superman is, Superman vs the Elite represented what he STANDS for. but anyway those are just my thoughts, what do you guys think? ^^

[just-evo-now]

I've been meaning to write a "you should be more continentalist" post for a while, and right now I think I have the focus for it so I'm giving it a shot.

Most of my social group is extremely technically inclined. Relative to the population they're much more analytic (both in the colloquial psychological sense and in terms of philosophical commitments). This post is for them.

You should be more continentalist because continentalism has a somewhat different "mode" of skepticism than analytic philosophy, and lacking it leads analytically inclined people to make major epistemic errors.

Chiefly, I think continentalist skepticism is much more focused on "model misspecification", or more generally skepticism about entire epistemic frameworks.

An obvious example is early scientific racism, or scientific sexism, or really most varieties of scientific justification for discrimination. Extremely intelligent people (including several of the most important statisticians in history) developed sophisticated arguments that would be genuinely difficult to refute within their own frameworks. Many of you, yes you, would have accepted these arguments.*

But continentalist skepticism is more inclined to step back and say "Hmm, there's an existing Structure that seems suspiciously well-aligned with all of these finely-crafted statistical arguments, I wonder if these arguments are actually post-hoc in some way."

Now, I'm not saying you should all be continentalists. I'm not one! I, like you, think that it frequently falls into the realm of total fucking bullshit!** And of course much of continental philosophy isn't skeptical or utilizing skepticism at all, this is just one aspect of it.

But I do think incorporating this mode of skepticism into your epistemic toolbox is essential for avoiding... let's call it "Terminal Engineering Brain". If you've interacted with... basically any of the rationalist community you've probably encountered this. Very smart, very analytically minded people who would never get fooled by a p-hacked paper but who nevertheless have deranged views because they can't see all of the hidden assumptions they've built into their epistemic frameworks.

And that's not to say that you should always throw out every epistemic assumption! Or that all continentalist criticisms of analytic claims are accurate! For instance: I think basically all of the claims of the "effective altruism is neo-colonialist" variety are total garbage. But I can at least see why the continentalists would generate that criticism, and I think it's one to consider seriously before rejecting it. I think that if you can't hypothetically come up with this line of criticism on your own, then probably you aren't continentalist enough yet.

Lastly - I don't think taking a continentalist approach means adopting their style. I do completely agree that continentalist discourse is fucking cursed to never make a clear point. But I think that's basically historical accident, not an essential part of the program.

*Another good example is gender theory: continentalism was way ahead of analytic philosophy on gender theory (which is why so much writing on gender is Like That).

**Although here I need to be wary - how much of continentalism is bullshit, vs stylistically repulsive. I find an analytic philosopher arguing for moral realism much more palatable than Foucault, but is it less bullshit? As in - ignoring stylistic differences, does one of them tend on average to make more false or nonsensical claims? I'm not sure.

[dootznbootz]

I do agree that a lot of people in that OdyDio space do tend to character assassinate them both to have their mlm ship often at the expense of Penelope entirely. It's extremely frustrating to see it happen on such a widespread level and it starting to take root as a pretty popular alternate ship for Odysseus. I feel like there could be a way to do it that simply doesn't water them down into half of what they should be as characters but not many fics that I've read in the past make that effort. Idk where I was going with this really but I appreciate your viewpoint about this ship and other similar points on it very much.

*sighs* Thank you for appreciating my rants :') I don't like doing them and I've done it quite a few times enough already but I need to let it out lol. <3 It's very frustrating as a Penelope lover. I'm happy that I'm not so alone in this feeling tbh.

And literally everything you've said ;~; Especially the first statement of "a lot of people in that OdyDio space do tend to character assassinate them both to have their mlm ship often at the expense of Penelope entirely."

People act like it's canon when it's simply not and never was. Period. And that's okay. Ship and let ship but don't act like it "definitely happened". It's an AU. And Diomedes is definitely not on the same level as Penelope in Odysseus' heart. I love Poly ships but for Odysseus to have clawed his way back into the arms he never wanted to leave in the first place, to be told he can only give one hand for his wife, the one he shares his mind and heart with, SO OFTEN is just... ough.

Like the Odyssey is the Ithacan Royal Family's story...And yet people think the "Real Odysseus" is in the Iliad and/or basically putting aside everything in the Odyssey for fanon version of the Iliad.

Like, my "Water Wife" being a weird cryptid water woman is technically an AU as well. I know this. I very much hope others know this as well. And that's okay.

As like, I wouldn't hate it so much if this weren't the case and if it wasn't shoved down my throat as often as it is ;~; It's literally everywhere. I already can't ramble about Penelope without someone making it about Odysseus. At least that's a bit understandable as that's the love of her life. But the fact that if I ramble about Penelope, people will bring up Diomedes?! Because of a non-canon crackship? (Also, Epic only mentions Diomedes once. Why are Epic fans, who've never even read the Iliad/Odyssey, (sorry to gatekeep but also not. I'm being mean right now) shipping it??? at this point it's just that you like the fan creations. WHICH IS FINE, BUT ADMIT THAT.)

I'm not against crackshipping and/or just shipping because it's hot. My guilty pleasure is MenOdy, a non-canon crackship. I know it's not canon. They definitely care deeply for each other but there is such a thing as deeply platonic friendships. As it even goes against their character to get together, as that would be cheating on their wives if they did have a relationship during the war. (Don't bring up Megapenthes as of right now. that's a separate and more complex topic altogether in the terms of "Cheating" in my opinion) Despite enjoying this ship, I never proclaim that it's canon. Especially not in the Odyssey and the Iliad.

And like, MenOdy comes from them being alike in how they ARE both loving husbands and fathers similar in age. That's the intrigue for me. As in character to a degree! Most OdyDio almost like, takes away Odysseus' love for Penelope in order to make it about Diomedes, which is SO wild and so wrong to canon. That's an AU.

I always try to like, start out headcanon talks with mostly "In my stuff", "In my Writing", etc. as like, to make it apparent that it's technically not canon and so that like, others know that it's just in my stuff and that they don't have to agree. Fanfics aren't essays, despite a lot of my interpretations being incorporated into my stuff.

Honestly like, it's almost hard to write sometimes because I almost feel so much...Pressure??? To make sure my Penelope fics are PERFECT. I want her to have creations and ideas and fanfics for her. I refuse to halfass her. I want her to have love and thought that's just more than just OdyDio's third and/or just a wife or mother. She deserves so much more.

[quarterlifekitty]

hi! i love you! i enjoy all your freaky thoughts >:))) but i also need help! i’m working on a hybrid oc x ghoap type of fic but i just am not sure abt the mechanics of how to write hybrids? maybe that’s so stupid but i love your writing and i trust you’ll give me a lovely answer >:)

Well, it’s hard to give advice on writing hybrids because it’s very much up to you!

Basically, the way I approach it anyways, is that hybrids are somewhere on a sliding scale between people and animal in looks, mannerisms, and physical traits. You get to decide where they are on this scale, if there’s any variety in your world as to where they fall on the scale, and what that means.

Because things are so up in the air in like a political and moral sense (I’ll explain this), people usually write hybrid stuff to be rather short form and light. Cause if you delve too deep then you’re kind of begging the question of why hybrids aren’t just counted as people. It’s like asking if Winston from overwatch should be able to vote. They’re questions that don’t really have satisfying or direct answers, and I’m assuming you want to write porn/romance and not a strange, hamfisted allegory, so I would generally advise avoiding hybrid rights. Not to say that it can’t be done in a way that isn’t distracting, but it’s not the easiest.

In my fics I tend to imagine that hybrids are incapable of long-term thought processes and conceptual/abstract thinking. Like they have no idea how to answer “where will you be in five years” and they can’t learn algebra. While I’ve never found a good time to incorporate this into my writing, I also like to imagine that hybrids have a slightly devolved joint/bone in their thumbs that makes them less than fully opposable. This allows for the existence of “hybrid proof” locks and things.

I’m also kinda on the normie side of it so I imagine that hybrids are on a similar physical scale to humans and are more like anime catgirls than full furries (they have some key features of the animal like ears, tails, or patches of fur but they don’t have like snouts or literal paws).

You also have to decide their relationships to humans. Some people prefer to be treated like literal animals (aka not getting fucked by regular humans) but most people like to imagine that hybrids and humans bone down. Does the hybrid have a say in the matter? You have to decide.

If you want to see a fanfic where more of like the human rights angle is tackled, I would suggest @/boogler’s Lapdog On a Farm. In that one they kinda cover that hybrids don’t have any bodily autonomy and that they have names given to them by their parents, their true names, but also ones given to them by owners.

Hybrid/hybrid stuff is sometimes different. Usually it’s the undersea ones where there are no humans involved whatsoever. In those, hybrids are more like mermaids typically. They’ll have their own kind of culture perhaps, and they’re more just like humans that live underwater. You can also choose to write about everyone being a hybrid. You could write one where hybrids are the superior beings and humans are subservient. The world is your oyster and there’s no wrong way to do it!

[physalian]

Incorporating weather elements into your narrative

*Picture me in shock over 11 new followers in 6 days after a 3 week dry spell: Thanks everybody!

Short this time! Weather and climate as worldbuilding are kind of like adverbs. Adverbs, as a concept, are not book kryptonite (despite what all the people screaming about how using better verbs is always the answer want you to believe). Adverbs should just be used with intent and not be redundant, which I’ve said before.

Basically, why use an adverb that doesn’t actually tell us any helpful information about the verb that the reader can’t already presume? “She smiled happily,” well, yeah, as you do. “She smiled sorrowfully,” okay, now that’s an expression I can work with. Why is she smiling sorrowfully? Why does she think she must smile through her sadness? Clearly it’s failing, otherwise the narrator wouldn’t note that the smile is sorrowful at all.

There’s a reason “talking about the weather” is the butt of the joke. It’s generally seen as boring and inconsequential to either party and used to just fill otherwise awkward silence. A quick sentence for sensory details is great. Repeat details that don’t dig into those sensory elements are not.

Your weather is no different. Why are you describing it if it serves no purpose to the scene? Everyone’s default unobtrusive day is different, but unless stated otherwise, people are going to assume it’s either day or night with mildly clear skies and tolerable heat and humidity. Talking at length about average weather that doesn’t impact your character’s emotions or choices, or the tone of the narrative, is a waste of effort in my opinion.

As in, describing the perfect day while a charcater is stuck in an office and unable to enjoy it? Yes. A character getting groceries and it's 72 and sunny and look at all the boring shapes of the clouds and planes flying over head while I get zero input on how the character feels about any of it or why this detail matters? Fluff and filler.

If your book is chock full of poetic fluff, go ham, everybody's ideal narrative is different. I like mine lean, otherwise I get bored by all the fluff while I wait for the book to remember it has a plot.

Weather fits into one of those little buzzword bingo cards where, if the author is taking an aside to describe it, you know it’s going to be important later (or at least it should be important later if the author didn’t just forget about it). Weather tends to be used as foreshadowing and is used as metaphorical shorthand everywhere.

If I write about a character going off on a quest and I tell the reader that clouds are growing in the distance, there’s a 70/30 chance I’m not just talking about actual clouds, but the threat of the enemy, some sinister plot our plucky heroes are ignorant of. Stuff like:

A red sunrise

Black/grey stormclouds

The ambiguous “rain/storm” that’s coming

A chilly wind picks up

An oppressive heat wave settles over the land

Fictional weather is so entrenched in metaphor and allegory that no matter how cliché it gets, watching or reading a funeral scene where it’s not grey and rainy feels insincere and not somber enough for the tragedy unfolding. You can avoid this by having your characters hate that it’s not raining for their funeral, as if even God doesn’t mourn their dead friend and the rest of the world moves on uncaring.

Same vibe as Halloween decorations in broad daylight. Or Christmas decorations in the Florida 80 degree December. Fall without the changing colors of the leaves. The mood is completely wrong.

“It was a dark and stormy night” sets the reader up for something serious, perhaps mysterious and dramatic, not a cheesy Hallmark romance. Weather as tone is extremely helpful. Not describing it is better than picking the wrong weather for your scene, unless you're trying to be ironic. Weather is practically its own character, depending on how much it matters to your story.

Fantasy and abnormal weather should be treated like any other scene descriptor element. It’s not enough to just drop in a detail about how there’s a 20% chance of blood rain at noon. If this is meant to be metaphorical or foreshadowing, despite being “blood rain” maybe it’s not an ill omen. Maybe it’s a magical fertilizer and a farming boon that graces the land, you gotta clarify.

Personally I’d fixate on the blood rain and want to know much more about it, just as much as I’d want to know about the rest of the town. I don’t need you to explain why it exists, it can exist just for funsies without serving any plot purposes, but I definitely want some more detail about the blood rain, it sounds cool.

—

TLDR; Weather cannot be untethered from its metaphorical and tonal implications, it’s just too entrenched in fictional associations. With that said, if weather in your book isn’t important at all to the story, randomly describing the sunny day at length is like describing the grass of a random lawn—we all know what random grass looks like. Unless the state of the lawn matters, it’s fluff. If it doesn’t service the character’s arc, the themes of the story, the tone of the scene, or the plot in any way, it can be skipped beyond relaying to your readers on the time of day and some sensory details like if it’s hot or windy or humid.

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

what characters do you like so far in Hundred Line?

Yay, thanks for asking this question! (,,>᎑<,,) I'm interested in all the characters, but I'm going to talk about the ones I'm particularly interested in and I think I'll probably like! This is a very long post, so I will collapse it below!:

Takumi Sumino

I'm sure I like him! Some of his lines have been revealed in the gameplay videos that have already been released, and it seems that his speech style is a bit similar to that of Hajime Hinata. His character description says, "He can be a little indecisive and pessimistic at times, but when he has something to protect, he'll fight with everything he's got." This totally fits my favorite type of character personality!:

I also like the way he looks. I think I will draw him several times as I have several compositions in my mind that I want to draw before the game is released.

Takemaru Yakushiji

He's also one of those characters I'm sure I'll like! He has already been revealed that he is a kind-hearted young man despite his scary appearance. I love a good-hearted bad boy like him, and I thought his lines in the gameplay video were cute, so he should be my favorite.

Hiruko Shizuhara

Well... I don't know if I should say anything about her, because she's definitely very attractive without me saying anything. haha It has been revealed that she is the most powerful attacker in the game. (By the way, Kodaka tends to make most of the characters who are good at fighting be girls, right?) A beautiful female attacker is definitely my preference, and I also find it fascinating that she has a strange preference, like she loves SIREI's looks.

Eito Aotsuki

Let me say this first. I was curious about him even before I saw the picture of Eito and Takumi displayed at the Tokyo Game Show. If you don't know what I am talking about, search for that image while being prepared to be a little shocked! 😅 I'm probably going to like him, but in my mind he's too unknown and a little scary! Turns out he's a healer in the game and I'm kind of attracted to that.

Tomato head girl (I write this way as her name has not been revealed.)

Well... There are no details about her at all, but somehow I feel attracted to her. I can't say more than that at this point, but I look forward to the day when we know more about her anyway.

White-haired girl (Girl with the same face as Karua)

Finally, I would like to mention the girl I am most interested in! I know that her face is the same as that of Karua, Takumi's childhood friend, and I know that some people thought that she might be Karua herself, but I expect that this will probably be incorporated into the story as a mystery in itself, so I will avoid calling her Karua. I have been curious about her since the first time the main artwork was released, because she was the only one who was clearly dressed differently:

I can't wait to see her costume design from the front, as it is so pretty just from the back!

I also thought that she would probably be a very important character. This is confirmed in my mind by the fact that she and Takumi are often seen side by side in the recently released images:

You might say I am overthinking this, but she is always in the center when all the characters are assembled, albeit in the last row:

So I'm sure she's definitely an important character, and I'm very interested to see how her interaction with Takumi will turn out! ╰(*´︶`)╯♡

---

That's all for now! Among the characters that have already been revealed in detail, I didn't mention Darumi Amemiya, so I'll mention her a little:

There's no doubt that I'm very interested in her, too! But I'm still not sure if I will like her or not. If Takumi gets along with her and she gets attached to Takumi, I think I will like her a lot. In other words, I'm still not sure how I feel about her because I'm not sure what her attitude towards Takumi will be.

The Tsukumo siblings are also characters I am not sure if I will like:

I probably like Kako, but I'm still a little worried about liking her brother. According to the lines revealed in the gameplay, this character is probably the one who makes a lot of dirty jokes. 😅 I think I will like them because they both look very attractive and their speech is distinctive and funny, but I am preparing myself to be shocked by the brother's lines. 😅 As I write this, I also think that I might be crazy into them when I learn more details. haha

---

Maybe the anon who asked me this question did not expect me to give such a long answer, but I took the opportunity because I just wanted to talk about it. Sorry if my long answer scared or disgusted you! Thank you for asking and for reading! 🫶💕

[befuddledcinnamonroll]

Sunset x Vibes - final thoughts

Oh, hmm. Well. Ok, those of you who have followed me for a while know I tend to be an overall positive person, I love the variety that we get in BL, I love mess, I love chaos, I love slow stories that let us spend time with the more intimate moments of the characters' lives.

Yet I have to confess I struggled to stay with this one. I was hopeful, because I had a lot of fun with Big Dragon. Mos and Bank have hella chemistry. There were interesting concepts to play with.

But in the end, for me, it felt like there was just too much focus on "aren't Mos & Bank pretty!?", which yes they very much are, but I just couldn't connect with the story. The office theft stuff was not super interesting, because the villains were so damn obvious, and it made everyone else look oblivious. And then the whole reincarnation thing... @sunshinechay very patiently walked me through the book's plot, because I kept getting confused by the flashbacks. But it didn't really feel incorporated into the story. It was just...there.

You can also tell that the side couples were additions for the series. That's not inherently bad, there's a lot of good changes that get made in a lot of shows, but here there seemed to be an aspect of "where should we put this side couple scene? Ah, just stick it anywhere".

On the plus side, there's not anything to get bothered over (besides a misfire with a blackmail video), and there is a lot of pretty to look at.

What I enjoyed:

Mos and Bank are very very good at what they do. You can tell they take their work seriously, and their love scenes are damn good. (Except the paint one, I just keep thinking about how much paint smells, and then the crevices...just no).

There were some really good looking scenes, they had people working behind the camera who know how to show off Mos & Bank well.

Sam & Yo were a great side couple, even though they would often get just a couple of minutes per episode. I really liked Tenon in Golden Blood, so it was good to have him back in BL.

Prim & Pim had great chemistry, despite being held back by the writing.

The friendship between the interns was cute.

Fong is so damn good at comedy. Give that man more to do please.

[lemonnere]

LEMON, LEMONNERE, NERE... YOU'RE LITERALLY DRIVING ME INSANE WITH YOUR AXIS DESIGN. I JUST GOT HOME THIS IS INSANE

I was literally just thinking about your Axis design and how you draw him YESTERDAY how the FU

Oh, and the way the post is formatted? Golden. Perhaps, jaundiceyellow even.

I'm specifically talking about the "HOLD THIS, IT SUITS YOU" drawing that I saw as I was scrolling down the Undertale Yellow tag.

I saw the text, stopped midway to tell myself "this better be that one edited screenshot where the trashcan lid is replaced with an L," and it did. I love him for that so much. I'll gladly take an L from Axis any day. Please do not expose him to internet slang.

(Translation: Please do, I want to see the most off-handed nonsense Axis is going to babble without restraint. You're giving me ideas.)

I'm so sorry, I'm normal about Axis.

(💭: I am not sorry, I require more Axis content and yet my hands refuse.)

{this is where it completely derails from Axis}

Oh yeah also

PROJECTING ONESELF ONTO ONE'S COMFORT CHARACTER LIKE THEY'RE A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION FOR REAL!

Want to hear about (starlo) things I think people should talk about more?

No? I'll go anyway, because I like giving people ideas! I don't have anywhere else to throw this at because I can't illustrate these little things, let alone find a way to incorporate them in ways other than writing. I think you might enjoy these little thoughts bc I suck arse at drawing myself with the characters I'm much better at thinking about them until my brain explodes./silly

I'm also too scared to post these thoughts on my blog first, mostly because of my (nonexistent) organization!

Starlo pacing. Ed mentions this when the Feisty Four try guessing Deadly Duel, at night “back and forth, whispering to (him)self.” I do that too so I think people should think about the angst potential of this. WHAT IS THAT (cow)BOY SAYING??? IS HE WORRIED ABOUT THE ROBA??? WORRYING??? DOES THAT COUCH HE SLEEPS ON GET MUCH USE??? PROBABLY AFTER ED USHERS STAR BACK IN THE HOUSE!!

Starlo's glasses. Obviously he wears it under his hat for the sake of seeing, and he obviously didn't put it on last second as he's stumbling off just so that he can have a dramatic reveal before he takes off his hat. (Though that would be really funny.) What am I getting at? Well, as a glasses wearer, Starlo getting his frames up and rumbled in some silly whimsical rodeos. And then get extremely pissy about it, “this was 1k,” “now the frame's uneven,” “be gentle, no, DON'T HOLD THE LENS,” “awwh... my glasses are looser and keep slipping off my face,” “fine, you can wear it... but you're paying if it gets damaged.”

I'm totally not speaking from experience. (lie)

OH YEAH I forgot this one. “Star, ain't you supposed to be in glasses?” “WAIT, SHOOT, I FORGOT THEM AT HOME..." *voice trailing off as Starlo is running*

Like I also forgot that I'm not wearing my own a moment ago.

Starlo doesn't get the full picture. You know how cowboy movies have cultures, traditions and ideas that are second nature to watching them that we can research at any time? Monsters don't have those. Well, at least not Starlo, not Alphys. They're limited to tapes (Starlo's case.) So, in this case, I think of Starlo doing cowboy things just a liiittle bit wrong, like two steps too far from the right. I'm talking about things like holding a gun in the dominant hand, recoil, how exactly to tie a lasso how to maintain and store it, how horses and travel on them work, the sun, uniform and all. Movies tend to sacrifice details for cool factor and I'll bet Starlo won't realize immediately. Oh, and trigger discipline. Starlo has definitely tried spinning a revolver using the trigger guard. and shot someone (it was a BB gun. He definitely wouldn't try it with a real one, let alone get his grimey paws on it./af)

Starlo can draw. He drew the wanted poster for Vengeful Virgil on the bulletin board with Ceroba. He's capable of doodling and dabbles in it, even if a little bit. CEROBA AND STARLO DREW TOGETHER. THEY DREW TOGETHER! (need I say more?)

I'd talk about Axis too but I see better Axis propaganda than mine.

and I'm getting lazy :³

Starlo thoughts GO!

Looking back at my ask before I send it. Man this really was an AUDHD—/j/ref

GEHEHHEEHEH IM SUPER GLAD YOU LIKE MY AXIS !!!! >>:)) Definitely prepare for more because this guy is hella fun to draw whether it be robot or hooman form 👍👍 And never be afraid of suggesting ideas too hee hee

THIS ALSO APPLIES TO ANY OTHER CHARACTER OFC Especially Starlo. The sweetheart ever. I'm so normal about him that I had literally already thought of almost all of the stuff you just said there and I'm glad to hear more people gushing about it GRAHHH I recently silently added him to my kin list (along with Axis) because a lot of the stuff he does (and stuff I imagine him doing) is so me-coded whether that be positive or negative stuff

Idk about the pacing thing at first I thought it was funny then I saw people thinking it's about the voices in his head talking and then I saw other people thinking it's part of him being autistic coded . Idk all I know is I do that ... It ranges from a simple conversation to myself about the dumbest stuff and it can become me trying to reassure myself of things . I can totally see Star struggling and doing the same, Imposter syndrome sucks😭 ALSO THE GLASSES THING I'M A TRUTHER THAT BRO BREAKS THEM I sat on mine twice . Absolutely tore them apart . My man is not very smart despite being a nerd (and we love him for that)

Oh yeah him kinda sucking at his cowboy act is just straight up canon and I love it. If he was good at it it wouldn't be the same 👎👎 let him put his own spin on things !!! ALSO OMG STARLO ARTIST REAL THAT'S SO CUUUUTE God I love these sm I'm crying violently

I'm always open to hearing more about Axis as well !!! I absolutely suck at coming up with anything for any character !!! /Lh (That's why requests help my brain do gymnastics) ✌️✌️✌️

[chemzee]

Rachel 2, 7, 17, 19

I just realized I never actually got to properly introduce Rachel here before in terms of her personality, so gonna use this ask as an opportunity to do so (´∧ω∧｀*)

2.How long was the process before the character reached its final version? (or a version that would be clearly recognizable as the character?)

Uh, I'd say a few months? Initially, the idea for her character was born from a conversation with Donnie, it was something about a concept of Umbridge having an adopted daughter iirc and I drew that character in Ibis for shits and giggles, so that was essentially her first ever version. The idea stuck with me and I wanted to actually use this cute Umbridge inspired character one day but I only got to actually create her a few months afterwards, somewhere around September of last year and by that time, I already had a clear vision for her. She's stills being actively written tho!

7.What is an aspect of their appearance that you like the most?

Her face, I'd say! :3 I think I nailed the vibe I was going on for her, cute and pretty, but many had still guessed she's more than meets the eye and I'm proud of that! Aside from that, her color palette! I'm a sucker for pinks tbh

17.Are there any motifs or symbols associated with the character? How are they represented, in their design, personality or in some other way?

She's meant to have a hearts motif! It's not super visible in this specific art of her design yet, but I wanna incorporate more heart shaped features in her design. Aside from that, bows and jewelry always gotta be present in her outfits! As for colors, pinks, reds and blues.

Aside from that, she has a sheep in wolf's clothing motif, it terms of her personality. I wanna make her feel soft and innocent at first, like a little sheep, only to expose the fangs she hides beneath.

19.What is your general favourite thing about the character? What is your least favourite?

My favorite? Arguably her personality. She's fun to write because she's unapologetically evil, rotten to the core. Most of my characters are either bad people or morally grey, but most of the time they're victims of circumstances or have redeeming qualities about them. Not in Rachel's case, she's refreshing to me in that sense. Especially because she's my first evil child character.

I always insist that we should go easy on kid characters since they don't know any better and have room for improvement (which I often use in Cassandra's and sometimes Daniel's defense) so for me, Rachel is an opportunity to explore a child character who won't change, who is evil through and through.

What I like least? Aside from being Ivy and Cassandra's tormentor and a push in their development, she currently doesn't have much of an influence on the main story, she could easily be discarded and that's not something I want. Ofc she's meant to be like Umbridge, so it's pretty logical she'd make only have a major presence in one year (in her case, Y6) but I do feel a little bad that on the grand scheme of things, she's not that important. But maybe that's what works best for her so I'm overthinking it lol. After all, characters in hpma do tend to just appear in one year and never again and still have an impact.

[susandsnell]

Jonathan Crane, 14 and 21

Character Ask Game

Hiya Mira! Thanks for sending these. <3

Jonathan Crane - Batman (various)

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

As hotly contested as the term/aesthetic is, unfortunately I can't really work around Dark Academia being core to our beloved Scarecrow; the patchy professor's outfits and the ostracizing comments they provoke are so key to the character from his inception, and I'd love to see more Batman media where he's drawn in it. Knitwear, argyle, button downs (with salaciously rolled up sleeves when in the lab, oh my!), sweatervests, neutrals, patterned ties (though throw in the bolo for our Southern boy!), camel coats, heavy emphasis on neutrals and houndstooth. Double-bridged glasses are my personal headcanon, but wire frames are solid regardless. I also love it when artists/fanartists incorporate dorky Halloween elements into his wardrobe/accessory; I've drawn him with Jack-O-Lantern patterns/patches on his sweatervests, I've seen him drawn with ghost ties, he might even have some more scarecrow-themed looks just to really rub it in...the man is a nerd, let's lean all the way into it! On top of being funny and kind of adorable, I genuinely find "Crane is obsessed with Halloween themed clothes" to be a great characterization mainstay since it's super humanizing for your otherwise cold, poised and intimidating scientist to still dress like what he also is -- a dorky middle-aged college professor.

21. If you’re a fic writer and have written for this character, what’s your favourite thing to do when you’re writing for this character? What’s something you don’t like?

Oh, this is just delicious. Writing Crane, as with many villains, is a dive into the id -- he's Batman's drive for vengeance if it took a full nose-dive into Sweeney Todd territory, and I love getting to revel in that. I also really like to think "what's the most fucked up but still plausible thing I could have him do", but contrasted with "where might the weak spot be, and how do we get him to this point". Fear toxin inflicted on various characters is a wonderful gift-that-keeps-on-giving device in how it reveals so much about its victims, but I find that just as much, how Jonathan engages with inflicting it and with his victims' reactions really helps me work out just what kind of monster he is -- and where his empathy, should he have any left, lies.

As for what I don't like when it comes to writing him, I will say voice is hard just because he's so frequently underwritten, and I tend to write my headcanon version of him as a composite versus a more specific one (with that said, Nolancrow you beautiful bastard, let me capture your speech style you job-switching weirdo). This is more an insecurity thing (as is the would he do that? would he not? why? - the neverending tug of war that is trying to write believable and occasionally cute romances for awful people) than a problem with the character himself. The other big challenge with writing Crane is keeping it fresh; Batman himself has pointed out many times that he's one of the Rogues that evolves/learns the least with respect to MO and master plan (I guess because the field of science is always ongoing, fear is eternal, and revenge is almost as infinite in its scale?), and it's true he isn't really given much in the way of personal arcs. Because of that, I end up having to rely a lot more on trying to come up with new situations to put the old man in to try and nudge him in either-or direction.

Thank you so much for this!

[enter-the-rickyverse]

HELLO!!! this ask isn't to send you a ricky, but because im planning to make a rtc production in highschool, and id like to ask you for advice since imo you know the characters (ricky) really well :3 thing is, we're not using the og script because we gotta make the musical in spanish lol, so since im gonna have to tweak a lot of shit in order to translate it, why not fix all the musical's crap while im at it? therefore, if you have any ideas, please do tell :3 (pd i love this blog sooo much srsly keep up the good job!!!)

Hi! Thanks for your support and I’m sorry it took me a while to answer. The truth is, I’ve been thinking about how to answer your ask ever since I got it and I don’t really think there’s a guide I could write you for how to do Ricky right. There are lots of differences in opinion between fans, for equally valid reasons, about how Ricky is written when it comes to things like, should he concede or should he not? Should Ocean’s lines about him in WTWN be revised or should they be left as they are? I don’t think it’s up to me to decide which of those opinions are right or wrong or good or bad, and as well I’m just plain not a very strong writer so trust me you probably don’t want my input when it comes to making a script lol. I’m just a Ricky appreciator who likes to uplift him and his fans by way of the drawings I make.

These days I’m having some trouble getting my point across with words especially when it comes to complex topics, but as they say a picture is worth a 1000 words— I think my drawings speak for me pretty well when it comes to my visions of Ricky. That being said, if you want to use my content as inspiration for how you want to present Ricky, feel free. I’ve drawn him around 300 times for this blog alone at this point so there are a lot of cool vibes you could choose from. Although the subject matter for all of my drawings comes from the specifications set by the people sending in the requests, my opinions and preferences for how I like to see Ricky are pretty evident in my illustrations (ie. I tend to draw him with mobility aids even in the afterlife, I enjoy shipping him with the other guys, I incorporate a lot of Star Wars and Star Trek references, etc.)

As well, if any of my followers have ideas for how Ricky could be portrayed in productions going forward and would like to weigh in, please feel free to do so in the replies or reblogs of this post.

Best of luck with your production!!

[readingloveswounds]

I see you're going to start working on your book pitch. Can you share with us some bits of the process? It seems like academia loves to gatekeep this type of information (or maybe I'm looking in the wrong places) and as someone who will eventually do a book pitch about my diss, I'd like to have some idea of how to do it :')

Hi! Happy to share the process! I will warn you, I am crawling through a dark hallway with maybe a candle at best on this subject.

In my most recent explorations of what the hell publishing is, I've been looking at Edinburgh University Press' Early Career Researcher page, which has advice on both publishing in journals and on how to publish the book. This is probably the clearest advice I have found to date - obviously a lot of things are going to vary, but they actually lay out what it means to write a proposal and what very generally they would want you to do in adapting a dissertation.

Important things thus far:

Figure out WHERE you want to publish - my advisor suggested a couple places because he knows they have series that my work could fit into. I do highly suggest talking to an advisor about this because they tend to have a decent idea of what's what. That said, also look at where the books you've used in the dissertation are published, as you know that publisher is likely to consider something along those lines.

Know what you're pitching, which is to say key words, how your approach is novel (or at least responding to people), and who your intended audience is (this is part of the publisher thing, but they will need to sell it one way or another, so you need to say whether it's a specialist audience or more general).

Figure out what you need to change in the dissertation - presses will want a sample chapter in appropriate style, either right away or eventually. While not universally true, many presses will not just accept a dissertation "as-is" because a dissertation is written (generally) in a particular style that isn't actually academic book style. This is the part that I have been really struggling with. You will obviously want to incorporate remarks from your defense committee, and you will almost certainly want to cut down the literature review portions (you're allowed to be more confident about yourself than in the dissertation and you don't have to recite your whole lineage - a prof in my department calls this 'throat-clearing'). Beyond that? I have been going in circles because I think my chapters are reasonably well structured, but I clearly need to do something. I asked my advisor and he kind of shrugged, but what I am starting to understand is that you need to go through with a fine toothed comb - can I split a chapter up? Do I need to add a section I couldn't add earlier? Do I need to (apparently) cut down my footnotes? I am going to have to go back through my dissertation and think about 'if I was reading this book, where would I start dragging? Where would I get lost?'

Write the pitch. Presses will tell you what they want pretty explicitly (for example, here's EUP). What seems to be common: a summary that is understandable to an educated layman (for academic publishing), who your audience is and what gap this fills, how it fits into THEIR library, and what changes you have made to the manuscript + what further changes you expect to do, should it be accepted.

I've really been spinning my wheels on this - I objectively needed a break from my dissertation to be able to look at it properly, but publishing is a long process and I really would like to get it started this school year. Once I get settled in my new place and before I start teaching, it's going to be (hopefully) a lot more full-steam ahead.