#idk wtf to tag this

[ratatoier]

some fanart based on A Little Overshadowing Never Hurt Anyone by @playedcrowd5610

[elderwisp]

The Creative Process ‧₊˚✩彡 

Because I love to be distracted

Hi! Ok, I wanted to share wif everyone my process in which I create a story post from conception to the final post. I would say I'm a very structured person when it comes to projects like these however, I've learned a lot and maybe someone could find something useful! We'll be referencing this scene. Oke, let's start!

✩ Rough Drafts

So, of course everything starts off with a vision. While I always say, write what feels authentic to you, I also know it makes things much more difficult if you don't have a solid ground to build from. I think I've scrapped this particular story about twice already and even reshot the first chunk of Tessellate so there was a better foundation. I like to start off with understanding a character before moving onto creating a plot, otherwise people start bleed into another. Greta Gerwig makes a really awesome statement about how characters come first to her before plot. OKE with that in mind, this particular scene, I wrote it well over a year ago, however there wasn't much flow in the initial draft. In fact, the two look nothing alike. This conversation was supposed to occur during France's concert, but I moved it to to this particular scene and I'm so glad. I felt like their current relationship was strong enough to have this conversation but also it allowed me to really focus in on the two. I am a huge advocate for jotting down dialogue even if things change because you can always expand on an idea. And if things don't work, scrapping is okay, but at least you gave it a shot! After that change, I didn't revisit that scene up until about a month and a half ago. I like to let things sit for a good while. In the initial draft, Taryn was reserved throughout a majority of the conversation. There was limitations in which how I wanted her to express things but things change in a year. When I looked at her as a character and how she's progressed throughout the story, the draft no longer aligned with her lack of response. And then that created the question of what the heck does one say? Because people aren't typically very graceful or eloquent when it comes to confrontation but also we're telling a story so how do I balance the two out? Since, I've followed these little blorbos for a while, knowing their characters and motives allowed me to flesh everything out. Atlas is much more cunning than he lets on and is excellent at painting a pretty picture for those around him if it means getting what he wants. Taryn on the other hand is perceptive and unwavering so being around someone like him, someone that she finds herself slowly falling for, is a complete, well, mind fuck. We can also see from this interaction that there's a hint of feeling inadequate and the lack of confidence to know that maybe he does like her. We also see that Atlas maybe isn't the most mature when it comes to developing something real so the two have plenty to work on just from this scene alone. Like Greta Gerwig says, writing is listening.

I also wanted to mention LocalScriptMan and this video all the time because it just about changed how I viewed dialogue in general. I think it's such a great tool! I've probably shared it a billion times.

✩ Blender & Posemaking

So I would like to preface this by saying, you do not need to use blender to achieve a vision. There are still scenes that I still use poses/animations from other creators! I wanted to list a few references! Rebouks, Rascgal and Simmireen have an amazing variety of poses to use! I literally use Becca's bumper packs RELIGOUSLY! However, if you need any suggestions, SurelySim's has an excellent breakdown on getting started with posemaking from tiny details, to SimRipper and using accessories! She also talks about Vyxated's Pose Helper which is a god send! For this scene I wanted to fully pose it. In my script, I italicize anything I want to pose, I'm such a sucker for the mannerisms that people have. When words fail, body language speaks. Are they fidget-y, or do I imagine them to be more composed? Taryn's stance is grounded, she doesn't move at all in the scene except for when she leaves and I think it's a great representation of her stubbornness. Whereas Atlas is watching every single move, up until he makes his incredibly bold (ridiculous!) statement. As for emotion when he made that statement, I wanted to go with shame but then I felt like his expression radiated ruthlessness. I personally enjoyed that 10x more because it represented two things for me, his character and that he felt comfortable enough to show that part of himself. When posing a scene from start to finish, it takes me about 1-3 days depending on how complex it is. I'm a huge advocate for using references! I love referencing hands, posture, how to grab a book ANYTHING! Because this was a conversation and not much action happened, it took me about a day.

✩ Taking Screenshots and Composition

I began taking photos for this scene on March 6th. I use to use this reshade preset by growfruit however, after tinkering with some settings I use like a mish-mash blorbo of a preset. Amobae and Sforz have some cool LUT's for download (I think of it like a filter? That's probably not what it is but MEH) and I love the qUINT's lightroom shader as well. Huge advocate of relight, I was today years old when I learn that you should load it at the top of your shaders order so you don't get like a weird whitecast. These spotlights though are super fun too if you don't use reshade! There are some photographers on instagram that even go over how to use lightroom and it can translate to game as well! For the most part, I try to keep screenshots pretty simple, editing-wise but there are moments when I doodle in little hairs, add in some texture and include shadows for, uh, DRAMAAA. Lately, I've been incorporating intricate fonts because idk sometimes my brain enjoys a little graphic design moment. Sometimes shooting conversation heavy scenes can get so repetitive so I like to look at film stills on pinterest or pay close attention to a film and how they present the camera work in a conversation. Rule of thirds is a great reference tool to use, I believe GShade has a shader for that. However it's okay to experiment, it's not an end all be all. I love looking at animators and how each frame is incredibly intentional, whether it's a shot from above or a really close frame. The beginning of this scene, I honestly didn't have a clue as to how I wanted to open it up since they were walking down a hall. Then I noticed the detail in the fencing and how the tiles were opposite. Using the TOOL mod, I was able to get them both in the center and it created a strong opening shot of how different these two are.

✩ Editing

My god, I love editing but also this is usually the moment where I get so freaking distracted. This process takes me a day if I am focused.... But realistically it takes three days.... That's why I try to keep things to a minimum. I do use Photoshop. I like to use this sharpening action (the other actions are awesome too!) for story posts, I crop each photo (I use a 9:5 ratio and a 16:6 ratio if I need to focus on something specific idk why i picked those numbers yo), and add in text. Dafont has a lot of different free fonts. I like to use these little guidelines if sentences needs to be centered.

For adding umph to text, I like to use two things: The warped text option when using the type tool or just going to the distort panel and using the wave option!

Also bottom right of your layers channel is an fx layer. I like to use stroke and drop shadow on all text so it doesn't get lost within a photo!

✩ Finalization and My Schedule

That story post was uploaded on March 29th. As of right now, I like to stay three weeks ahead so I have three weeks worth of story posts marinating in my queue LMAO. I always reread things like a bajillion times, sometimes I'll go back and tweak conversations if they feel a bit stiff. Having that three week buffer also gives me time to really dedicate myself to details and focus on being present with a future scene. Another perk is, it allows me to work on cleaning up the script, plotting for future arcs, and having fun with edits. When I used to upload story videos on youtube, I didn't really plan ahead and it was so chaotic for me. Sometimes I didn't have enough time to actually create a solid episode so things felt rushed because on top of that I had a schedule I committed to. This isn't necessary but structure and patterns is something my little brain needs.

I hope this maybe provided some tips for people wanting to start out or it was just a fun little thing to read! One final OP tip is to write about something that you enjoy, something that matters to you. I'm one mf that loves a fleshed out character arc, that doesn't like linear plots and for fucks sake I love a good slow burn and I think all of that reflects a lot which helps me be engaged.

[honey-snap]

oh also heres all the pictures i took of my v2 plush and the sheer joy i had of bringing him around with me since none of my friends were available. i need a baby carrier for him, the bag's breathable but he needs to see the world in its entirety. i know yall will love these

[p1nkpaper]

fluffy socks *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

[luzisahomosexual]

Guess who’s about to start reading The Foxhole Court🤭

Despite everything I’ve heard of about this book (& the other 2 books in the series) I have absolutely no clue wtf it’s about. All ik is it’s really fucking sad. I heard it was queer, angsty & included murder & instantly brought it.

So I’m either gonna reblog this post a bunch with my thoughts as I read, reblog occasionally or completely forget I made this post…

Edit: was just about to sit down on the couch & I stepped in dog piss…so it’s going great so far💪

2 chapters in & I’m inlove with this book. Also if anything bad happens to Wymack (or if he turns out to be a dick somehow) I’ll actually riot.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

HOLY FUCK WHAT THE FUCK HELLO?!? WTF IS HOING ON RN

Just finished chapter 8 I’m very unsure how I should be feeling🙏

I’ve decided I wanna read this trilogy without looking up spoilers wich basically means that I’m gonna have to read all 3 as soon as possible & just be purely addicted to reading for the best 2-3 days🫡

K im Like 1/3 into the Raven king and I’m loving ittttt oml- kinda want more murder & violence tho ngl, got a feeling that’s gonna be books 3’s strong suit tho

YOOOO SOMETHING GAY JUST HAPPENED. If this is going where I think it is they I love these books more than I already did.

Oh.

When I said I wanted more murder and violence that isn’t what I ment…

Just finished the second book and holy fucking shit what the goddamn fuck exuse me??????

ANOTHER GAY THING HAPPENED ACCEPT THIS TIME IT WAS VERY MUCH MORE GAY LETS GOOOO💪

Istg if that countdown is till his dad gets released from prison or something…

I knew these books were gonna be rlly fucking painful to read but for some reason I was convinced it would have a happy (ish) ending…just finished chapter twelve of the kings men and now I’m scared…

Finished the trilogy and omg these were 3 of the best books I’ve ever read holy shit they are masterpieces.

[glamnessaaumisc]

New Alien OC Just Dropped

So in this universe I'm building, all extraterrestrial beings are actually extremely mutated and/or genetically-modified versions of humans and/or other Earthling species. I figured I'd add cat-people since this is humanity making these aliens and there's got to be at least one weeaboo scientist who wanted to make catgirls real.

The Neko race was among the first of the Post-Human races to ever evolve, engineered by an ancient American geneticist who was obsessed with Japanese entertainment. In memory of their founding father, Neko culture and society is based entirely off of anime and tokusatsu.

Like all other post-Humans, Nekos are native English speakers, but they incorporate bastardized Japanese words and phrases into their speech patterns in a way most Earthling-Humans would consider "weeaboo-esque." For example, despite there being no plurals in the Japanese language, Nekos will still pluralize Japanese words. As expected of a culture based entirely off of weeb shit, the recent liberation of Earth and the recovery of Japan has resulted in many Nekos embarking in pilgrimage to the area, only to be hit with a severe case of Paris syndrome as they realize it bears little resemblance to their own anime-derived culture, and there are no English subtitles.

[r4v1ng3m0]

phat pants came in i am fuckin settttttttt

[oneguardian15]

is it just me or is there SERIOUSLY just something about forearms? and hands?? and collar bones??? And Shoulders!! and NECKS!!! AND BACKS!!!!

[lovestruckbear]

i went on a date recently and these moments were too funny not to immortalize

[notaplaceofhonour]

so apparently a bunch of ppl on tiktok are reading & agreeing with the manifesto of the mass murderer who orchestrated 9/11. this is where the “terrorism is just a nasty racist colonial word for freedom fighter” gets us. how long before it’s the OKC bomber or Tree of Life shooter’s manifesto? istg

[cryptid-crawly]

Advice for Writing Fanfic

Assume your readers know what’s up. People read fanfic because they are, well, fans. Write with the assumption that your readers know the basics of the source material.

Don’t rewrite canon scenes unless you’ve significantly changed them. Whether it’s and AU or canon divergence, reading a play-by-play of the exact same scene as in canon (or one nearly identical with few or cosmetic changes) gets really old really fast. If there’s an important minor change, reference it in an original scene. If nothing changed and it’s canon divergence, your readers will assume it’s the same as canon. Want to rewrite an iconic canon scene in some vastly different AU? Change it up. Identify what elements of the scene are the most important and make something new that keeps the essence of those things.

Do not change your tags after the fact. To elaborate: this *specifically* means that you shouldn’t tag your fic with something only to go “ah-ha! It was a red herring!” and delete the tag later. Don’t do that. (A very dramatic example is tagging the fic as Everyone Lives/No One Dies and then deleting that later so you can have a surprise character death). Yeah, you might change your mind. In that case, let your readers know in the Author’s notes. But don’t do this on purpose.

Don’t worry about spoiling your plot. Have the greatest plot ever? Awesome! But people aren’t reading fanfic for new and original ideas (it’s transformative work for a reason). It’s great to write a complex and compelling story, but remember that first and foremost, people read fanfic to have a comfortable and familiar experience. It really really sucks to read 50k of something only to have a new tag/element thrown in as a surprise twist, when you intentionally try to filter that stuff out.

Write your summary to reflect what tropes/ships/setting your fic will have. This is part of not worrying about spoilers. Again, you may have a fantastic idea, but if you’re too afraid of spoiling it you may leave out too many details in the summary and people won’t be interested. Let your readers know what this story is about! Don’t be afraid to spoil some of the plot—I guarantee you it will make some people excited to “get to that point” in the fic. (For example, if character A secretly being a werewolf is an early plot twist, maybe don’t worry so much about revealing that in the summary?)

Don’t say you suck at summaries in the summary. Just trust me on this one. Write a summary like you’re convincing yourself to read the fic. Slap it on and go.

Stop using greenette, [color]-ette etc. That’s not done in published fiction.

Read published fiction. I don’t care what you read but read some of it occasionally. Otherwise you get used to the way that other fanfic writers write and ily all and am blown away by the creativity people put out into the world but many writers are new and learning and you’ll pick up bad habits. I personally recommend reading literary classics because 8 times out of 10 the writing is legit good. Not always, but it’s easier to guarantee good quality then just picking a random book.

Write for yourself. Yeah, whatever, this is lame advice. But it’s also true. Write what you want to read, otherwise you probably won’t have any fun. Eventually you’ll get to a point where you’re confident in your writing and you can go back and read your stuff and go “I am the funniest motherfucker in the room” and you’ll be right. (Replace “funniest” with whatever genre term applies to you. Like “angstiest”. Ignore that that isn’t a word.)

Comment on other people’s fics with questions. So technically this goes with the read published works one but it applies to both. The point is to develop literary analysis skills. When you read anything, think about it. Vague and unhelpful advice? Hell yeah that is. So if you want some concrete starting places: when you’re reading fic, ask yourself if you agree with how the author characterized your fav. Why did they act that way? Would you have written it that way? And engage with the author! This doesn’t mean point-blank saying “well I would’ve written it like this…” but if you notice a character decision you agree/disagree on or is interesting, simply ask “hey [xyz] scene/moment was interesting, why did you decide [blorbo] would do that?” Understand why authors made the choices they did in their writing. Learn. Grow. Flourish. Take over the world.

Occasionally revisit the source material. Reread or watch it or whatever applies. Dump fanon out of your head and think about the source. Please. I love you all, but please. Thank you.

To anyone who writes fanfic: I love you and thank you for sharing with the world. Hope this helps.

[galaxgay]

I just woke up from a nap where I dreamt that a dissapointed David Tennant yelled at me over tumblr asks for leaving an electric kettle on my kitchen floor.

...I don't even own an electric kettle.

[pacifistcowboy]

hehehe i finished this at 12:40 am the night before my first ever day of college whoopsies. i’ll go to bed now 👍👍

this is based on a “design” i “made” in a roblox dress up game way back in 2021 lol (idk how else to describe it but those words don’t feel right so i put quotation marks. gimme a break i’m eepy)

[plumpengu]

i’m so serious, and idk maybe in the idiot,,, but why can’t this damn submarine just go up??? like you’re lost? out of air? go up!!

[bananarsch]

Theodemir “Theo” Letterbee, one of my new AJPW pets.

Named in honor of a dear friend, who allowed me to use both the similar name and a few personality traits on top of preferred gender etc.

Pixel pets are cool. Feels like my kid days back when Dragon Adopters still existed as a website!

[ripactavis]

it’s not a fashion statement, it’s a death wish !