#like imagine if they have different methods/styles too

[the-breloominati]

eighty million different cultural faux pas on the world of terra based around animal instincts and how they would intersect with perceptions of class

[mockerycrow]

hii! i love the way you describe the 141 so far, and i would love to see how you would write an konig, ghost, soap, price and alejandro reaction and headcanons with a s/o who has an accent?

i taught myself english from a young age so i never really had someone to practice with, so my accent is very strong (im from south america, which also helps lol) and i would like to see how the cod boys can react to this in your style <33

Reader With An Accent - MWII

GIF BY: @collinnmckinley - masterlist

A/N: thank you so much for your patience and thank you for liking my writing!! please let me know if i executed this right!! i am american and i don’t want to misrepresent. also this is lowkey coded for people w/ accents from non-english speaking countries, so sorry everyone who is from a english speaking country and has an accent oops — i also kinda took your “i taught myself english from a young age” for alejandro’s chunk. hope that’s ok!

König

König wouldn’t react to your accent very much, unless it’s a very thick accent because then he would have trouble understanding you.

If your accent is thick, he probably asks you repeat yourself a couple of times; English isn’t his first language either, so I can imagine maybe a couple of times you both sit there in silence with each other because neither of you guys can understand each other. He has a semi-thick accent, too.

Sometimes, he does understand you but he just wants to hear you continue to talk.

Maybe König and you practice English together, while teaching each other your native languages on accident. You guys didn’t mean to, but you end up trying to explain what a word is in your different languages and by the end of it, you begin to understand full sentences in german; the same for him with your language.

He considers this a bonding experience :)

Ghost

Like König, he probably wouldn’t react to your accent too much unless it was incredibly thick. Ghost has met all different types of people and his native language is English, so he has a better understanding of what you’re trying to say, but he pokes fun at you like he pokes fun at Soap.

On the topic of Soap, you two together is his worst nightmare.

“Speak English.” Is his favorite phrase when you are speaking English, but your accent is just overpowering literally everything.

You like to throw his words back into his face when he says some sort of British slang—you get a surprisingly loud chuckle out of him when you pick up some of his slang. He thinks it’s funny whenever anyone who isn’t British begins to talk like him.

If Ghost isn’t already fluent in your language, he pretty much becomes damn near fluent by the time you’ve known him for a good couple of months. He picks this stuff up easily.

Soap

Oh, this would be actual hell on Earth. Not for you two, but for the others.

Soap doesn’t comment on your accent initially, but you two begin to share a brain cell and a half (on accident) when Ghost’s eyes show visible frustration.

“He can barely understand me, the two of’us will be a real party trick!”

You and Soap gang up on everyone else if your accent is thick. He understands the frustration of people not understanding you.

Sometimes it takes Soap a moment to process what you’re saying, but he only asks you to repeat yourself a couple of times. (He has a good method of deciphering words, even if he cannot understand through an accent).

Soap likes to teach you his Scot phrases and you teach him your own in return.

Price

He gives you an eyebrow raise as a reaction, but that’s about it. Price has worked with so many people all over the world, he doesn’t really care to comment on your accent.

Price has gotten pretty good at understanding thick accents through the years, so he probably only asks you to slow your speaking when giving him a verbal report about something.

Price 100% is the type to accidentally pronounce something wrong but say it with full confidence and you always correct him, leaving him dumbfounded.

“My lips just don’t move that way, love.”

It’s likely he’s fluent in your language so he doesn’t mind if you talk to him in it; just give him a few seconds to translate in his head, okay?

Alejandro

If you meet outside of a total progressional setting, he probably has the most reaction to your accent out of anyone.

Alejandro’s language is a very big part of him so he assumes it’s the same for anyone else.

Alejandro doesn’t have an incredibly thick accent, but he knows people who do and he’s known them for years, so it’s easier for him to understand than a lot of other people.

If you taught yourself English and you end up pronouncing something wrong, Alejandro casually corrects you to help you out. He doesn’t make a big deal out of it either, he knows sometimes people get embarrassed from it. His first language isn’t English either, so he understands the struggle.

He DOES start laughing if you try to pronounce something that you so clearly cannot, even after being corrected.

[azulock]

WHEN I SAW YOUR REQS ARE OPEN, I GOT A LIL BIT EXITED EHUEHUE. Imagine beign shidou's HOT AF gf and shidou keeps talking about you too sae about having threesome and sae be like "i dont belive you have a pretty gf" and when he saw u, he went like "deal." IT CAN BE DRABBLE OR JUST HEADCANONS OF RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM ETC. IDK AND IGNORE IF YOU DONT WANT TO. love you bbg 😈🔥🗣💯

You know I could write something better for this but I'm having a hard time right now, so I'm gonna keep it in my head, who knows, maybe someday that smut comes out. Now LETS GOOOO BABES <3

Honestly, Shidou probably has pestered Sae so much that at this point he doesn't even listen to what the guy has to say

So, when the pink haired freak gives Sae a break the man can barely understand why this miracle happened, but he is happy anyway

Soon he learns Shidou got a girlfriend, and he supposes this is gonna be the end of it, he's gonna be free

But it doesn't last, and not very long after the miracle happens, it ends, except this time Shidou pulls up with a different talk

At any chance, Shidou tries to tell Sae about you, and about how fucking hot you are, not that Sae is big on listening, but he keeps on getting cornered

Sae had almost gotten used to Shidou flirting with him left and right, but now it was different, now Shidou was openly coming onto Sae offering a threesome with his "unbelievably hot 1000 out of 10" girlfriend

Not that Sae believed Shidou's talk about how ridiculously hot his girlfriend was

Shidou tried, god knows he did, pulling up his phone to show Sae a picture but the man kept his icy stare and walked away every time, refusing to look, or to believe in Shidou's words

That is until a club event came around, where Shidou brought you, his obviously, stupidly hot girlfriend, and when Sae laid eyes on you, Shidou could see the cool mask break

It would be easy for Shidou to just approach Sae with you but he knows this could throw the man off, so he only approaches when you separate for a moment, and when he comes back to you the outcome is obvious in his face

From there it's just a few days before the three of you are in bed together, you sandwiched between two very different men

It's a stark contrast, Sae and his methodical, cool and collected domming style, and Shidou who is chaotic, loud, and even kinda sadomasochistic

They can both go for multiple rounds, and it's good that Shidou is a switch, cause Sae isn't switching, so when on one round the two are fighting for dominance - or on some occasions cooperating - on the other Shidou is happy to let Sae just take the reins

They are both very skilled, tho, and when they work together, they are a menace, very quick to drive you crazy

You'll end up dead tired, mindless from all the pleasure, and with more than a few marks on your body

It's an experience, for sure, but a good one tho, and maybe it could be more in the future, who knows?

sponsors: @tinnaagine @loser-vxbez @kiurona @bentolover @bevernats @weirdbutpr3tty @ada7201 @vollereix @rinitosh @kum1ko-chan @romanticizemai @oneandonlykuronacuddler @borisbq @priv-rose @qichun

[matchalovertrait]

OC Deep Dive Questionnaire Tag

A set of 20 questions to get to know your oc! I was tagged by @elderwisp :) thank you so much. To nobody's surprise, this will be about Dulce LOL

What uncommon/common fear do they have? I find this funny and ironic (kinda spoilery too for the future. If you know, you know) but she's scared of the dark.

Do they have any pet peeves? When people chew with their mouths open or double dip.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom? Polaroids, plants, and pretty things.

What do they notice first in a person? Their taste in fashion. She likes meeting all different kinds of people and finds their different styles fascinating.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance? 7

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? It depends because she's neurodivergent but incredibly resilient. If she's not feeling too overwhelmed, she goes into fight mode and doesn't back down. If she is feeling way too overwhelmed, she'll go into flight mode and probably cry.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person? Her immediate family is pretty small. There's her mom, Noemí, dad, Erick, and older brother, Ángel. Even though her parents had to work a lot in her childhood, she is still close to them and loves them immensely. Dulce and her brother have a really good relationship too.

What animal represents them best? A fox :) I talk about it more here.

What is a smell that they dislike? She doesn't like the smell of vanilla in fragrances! It's too strong for her.

Have they broken any bones? I'm surprised she hasn't...

How would a stranger likely describe them? Easy to talk to.

Are they a night owl or a morning bird? Morning bird, like the rest of her family. They start getting up at 4 or 5 in the morning, even on weekends.

What is a flavor they hate and a flavor they love? She doesn't like blue cheese. She doesn't get it and she probably never will. She loves tomatoes, though!

Do they have any hobbies? Cooking, posting on her Instagram, and playing basketball.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises? Oh, she loves surprises!! And just being celebrated in general LOL. She would join in and start partying and posing for pictures.

Do they like to wear jewelry? Yes! I try to not add too many jewelry or accessories to her yet, because she's still a teen and I want to differentiate my teens and young adults more. However, she likes wearing gold earrings, rings, and necklaces like her mom. She wants a belly button piercing too but her mom would not like that 🙈

Do they have neat or messy handwriting? She has neat and cute handwriting, you will see that in a future post :)

What are two emotions they feel the most? Joy (bruh) and annoyance.

Do they have a favorite fabric? Nahhh, she likes all of them.

What kind of accent do they have? She lives in Tartosa, Italy, so she has an Italian accent. She also speaks English and Spanish because her parents used the one-parent one-language method with her and Ángel ever since they were babies. I imagine that Erick is from Ohio, so that's the accent that Dulce speaks with in English. Noemí is from Jalisco, Mexico, so Dulce speaks with that accent in Spanish.

I tag: @miralure @ruthplaysthesims @authorspirit @smulie @gooretrait

@babzyz @spicasims @anamoon63 @living-undead @stargirl-trait

@groovetrys @gaeulssims @mdshh @yugybee @nzrowe

@changingplumbob @linalinsims @simmenycricket @aurorangen @elysiantrait

@akitasimblr @windslar @peachypiichi @bouncytrait @wrixie

@cawthorntales @coatedinhoney @yibsygerbits @swallowprettybird @bloomingkyras

@ktysh @berrycactus @virtualfolk @deardiaryts4 @seriallovertrait

[pumpkinstrawbrew]

🆃🅷🅴 🆆🅸⨢.🅲🅷🅸🅽🅶 🅷△🆄🆁.

>>> the grim adventures of jon n' jack. feat batman n' spiderman. <<<

...

it was only a matter of time, before i would have made another crossover with those two. i can't deny, that they are very 1:1 for me, when it comes to comics supervillains. so why not to mix one awesome n' beloved thing with another? esp since funny enough, they do have quite a few similar plot-points. well, the halloween themed costume aside. i mean it goes as far as jack once having the bat-themed boyfriend pal, which reminds me of someone else, i know.

anyho'...

i've tried to make my notes more or less readable here, but they still might be a bit scattered. i attempted to keep them as short as possible, but i just cannot talk 'small'.

1. the first art is low-key based on underdeveloped AU, that i have about the early comic scarecrow n' modern jack meeting n' hitting it off serial killiar style. considering, that both of them possess killing methods, which have a noticable tradmark to it, i imagine that they will leave one hell of a mess behind, while traveling across the country. in that timeline, batman is dead. n' jack's shitty foster dad was killed off earlier on. neither of them knows what to do with themselves, since the people who they had *twisted* emotional conection with are gone. without any direction, they meet in the middle, n' decide that they can as well team-up n' try to make being a villain fun again. jon might experiment on their victims *or torture them if its his ex bullies* n' then give them to jack, who would scoop their brains out and put candle inside their skull. n' uh yeah, he literally did it in the comic. i was honestly surpised that marvel come up with smth that creepy. it really sounds more alined with dc, if anything. but either way, here they are. two *grieving* psychos going downtown. they will make one another so much worse, i imagine. n' they will totally kill that npc dude btw.

2. dark magic n' the drip. or jon n' jack at their corniest. like, jonathan looks like he watched too much the nightmare before christmas n' jack dress up like count dracula for no reason. it's so random-ish n' cheesy. but with this being said, i love both of those designs, n' think, that they really suit the vibe of comic issues in which they were featured. jack always came off as a he-witch to me, but it was nice to see it being played on in a different way. n' then, crane really rocks his own outfit as well. i totally need to draw him in it more often, haha. they dress up for a halloween party for real this time. n' well, i added batman n' spiderman into the mix here, bc i kinda wish that they got to fight / interact with those versions of jon n' jack. it would have been fun for a few reasons. also this can be technically counted as shipping art, but can be viewed as your typical gloating bad guy n' helpless hero thing too. n' to clear any possible questions, i only create stuff with adult peter parker. like cartoon era/late early comics, 20 smth one. i love my spiderman being of age, where he can legally mingle with his villains, not be detained at school lol.

3. the classic four from the timeline, when the comic plots were a bit more ligthearted. aka during the times, when the deadly mercenary n' crazy scientist were robbing banks, instead of harming *torturing* people. i love dark stuff, but there is charm to how 'simple' the scarecrow's and jack's goals once were. n' i love how the scarecrow used to do the lil, dorky dances. it really suits him. n' since at least 2 or maybe, most of jack o' lanterns are southernish in their roots like jon, i had an idea of them having a country dance *in the middle of graveyard* kinda just makes sense to me, haha. batman and spiderman merely happen to find them like that. n' well, it's kinda awkward. esp bc they technically don't do anything bad. i also imagine spiderman being like 'oh, so you have one of those too'. which is mostly a ref to how both the scarecrow n' jack were called 'the reject from land of oz' by other characters. they can rejoice here.

4. the develish & undead duo!! my friend once told me to try n' watch older superhero cartoons, and at first i was like 'welp, they prob be hella boring'. but then i caved in, n' watched a couple of superfriends episodes. as result, i fell in love with their scarecrow's desingh! it was unexpected tbh. usually, i prefer jon's older, classic scarecrow look. so no straw hair, less features exposed, just a hat n' a sack on his head, but their version of him actually did it for me. i find their crane both creepy n' cute. n' i also read on wiki, that he might be undead. so that bit interested me as well. non-human jonathan crane, what a concept! him returning from the grave just to be a menace to batman. n' to accompany him, there is an undead jack o' lantern from the ghost rider comic. his corpse literally got possessed by satan. anyways, both of them raised army of zombies. both of them undead n' prob won't ever get out of their spooky suits, since i don't think that they can. n' funny enough, jack's hometown was called sleepy hollows, if i remember correctly. so they can haunt people there, make it into a truly cursed land.

5. the last one was kinda spontaneous on my part. the other day, i was looking at what kind of action figures the scarecrow n' jack have. saw one, where jon was looking kinda strange, all black n' yellow. which is how i find out that he *apparently* got yellow lantern powers in newer comics, even if it was like for 10 seconds or smth. i didn't read the issue itself, but i found the idea kinda fun, n' his design was decent enough for me to get interested n' wonder what i can do with it. then, a bit later, i saw that jack had a venom-funko figure. i don't think, that he was ever canonically venomized in any of the actual comic issues, but once again, the mere idea of it happening was enough for me to consider doing smth with it. i mean, a venom-like tongue, but its made out of fire? dang. that's kinda cool. so yeah. the yellow lantern scarecrow n' symbiote jack o' lantern being the double trouble. if they weren't enough of a mean goblin-man before, now they surely will be.

[northern-loner]

dear god now I'm losing my mind thinking about what the qsmp world looks like outside of the island holy shit.

obviously we know that the Federation has other locations that they run similar to how they run quesadilla, but how do you guess they get subjects for those? For some of them do you think they just take subjects they already have like hybrid experiments and throw them in? Or does the process change based on the general idea behind each location? Quesadilla was advertised as a perfect getaway vacation, what if another place was advertised as a unique wild-life expedition, or what Panacea did in opq where they promised money to struggling ppl if they signed up for their projects.

Do you think they run entertainment programs as well ShowFall-Media-style? Do they have Federation issued missing posters or hotlines? Do they have their hands in general authorities or are they a separate entity the Feds can simply influence through bribing or in-house plants? I like to imagine they're a pretty big deal in the modern world, like Google or Disney or whatever other world-ruling corporation you can think of.

BRO HOW DO YOU IMAGINE THE AVERAGE PERSON IN THIS WORLD IS?? Like there's no way no one makes conspiracy theories about the Feds and what they're really up to. Or random rare sighting videos of q!Bad or q!Antoine or maybe even Code monsters if they reach that far. We know Lovejoy is canon and literally funds parts of the Federation so there could be conspiracies about them too. That coupled with the parts of the cast who are said to be just regular guys before all of this, were there ppl that knew them and had genuine connections w/ them before their disappearance? THE TRUE CRIME COMMUNITY WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY INSANE IN THIS UNIVERSE AND WE ALL KNOW IT OMG.

All the more fantastical elements that are presented as just natural functions of the world as well. Like all the different supernatural or inhuman species just hanging around. Do you think Nightmare Stalkers could be major problem anywhere, or just some fucked up urban legend? All the different gods, are there different religions for each of them? What would those customs & worship methods be like? Do you think anyone has sightings of the actual literal Angel of Death on camera just buying a coffee or some shit?

Good god I need to lie down.

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm a newbie writer and something I struggle with is that my ideas are too big and I feel overwhelmed, and I never really had a short story idea that I liked. I'm already trying to consume short stories (written works and video fiction), so I wanted to know if you have other tips to develop small ideas, ideas better suited to short stories.

Newbie Writer Struggling to Write Short Fiction

Short fiction is a great way to practice writing, but if you struggle to come up with ideas, that doesn't help much. One thing that can help is to remember that short stories don't work like longer stories/novels. You're not developing a whole cast and world around a big conflict. Short stories are pictures within pictures.

If The Hunger Games was a short story, it would probably be Katniss waking up, walking through her district, hunting with Gale, and then Prim getting chosen in the Reaping. That would be the whole story. She was so fixated on the fear of herself or Gale getting chosen--which there was such high odds of happening because she'd put her name in so many times in exchange for food stamps--the last thing she ever expected was her sister being chosen. That's the twist... that's the point of the whole short story. If Twilight were a short story, it would probably start with Bella's first day at Forks High School, would follow her introduction to the Cullens, the weirdness with Edward as her crush slowly developed, and would probably end with her finding out he's a vampire. It could even go a little further to where they date, then Edward's brother almost kills her, and he breaks up with her in the middle of the woods--gone from her life as quickly as he got there.

If you're struggling to find short story ideas that you like, try looking for writing prompts. They're all over tumblr, you can find books filled with them, there are lists of them all over the web. Writing prompts can fire up your imagination without you having to pluck an entire idea out of the air. Another option is to do memoir-style short stories. Instead of trying to write something more elaborate, just take a notable experience you've had in life and... if you want, you can fictionalize it. For example, maybe you have a funny memory rooted in a friend's birthday party. Write about that. If you want to, you can even fictionalize it... what if it happened to someone else? What if the funny thing that happened was something different? What if the outcome was different?

The thing to remember is this: when you're writing short stories for writing practice, they don't have to be perfect or even good. You're not writing these for publication or sharing. You're writing these to learn how to craft sentences, write description, develop characters, and flesh out setting. The first time you take a lump of clay and try to make a bowl, it's not going to be amazing. Neither will the second, third, or fourth one. But as you master the basics, learn new methods, get better with tools and find new ones, your bowls will get better and better until they're something you can share. You have to let yourself make some misshapen and unappealing bowls if you want to learn to make nice ones. Writing works the same way. :)

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I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

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[shewhopats]

Overwatch characters watching your kid

I've been thinking about writing some silly short stories about OW characters getting stuck watching someone's kid, but I figured I would make this guide for my headcannon for the kind of babysitter each of them would be.

Brigitte and Reinhardt would make you the most nervous with their methods. Lots of rough-housing, throwing them around and into the air, giving your kid sugar, letting them climb things, and overall just encouraging mayhem and rule-breaking. "You mom/dad doesn't let you do this at home? Well, they're not here, are they?" Your kid will come home thoroughly exhausted, but bitter about you not being as fun as they are.

Orisa would make the same mistakes as Brigitte and Reinhardt, but more out of ignorance and inexperience. Like letting your kid stay up too late, because she doesn't understand why going to bed at a decent time is important, or feeding them something that makes them sick because that's what they said they wanted to eat. Unintentionally lets your kid walk all over her, but once you teach her how it's done, she'll be your go-to option when you need a break.

Zenyatta would be so intrigued by the natural imagination and curiosity of children. He'd provide lots of different toys, art supplies, and time for unrestricted and uninstructed play. A one-man enrichment program. Just don't try to tell him there are boy toys and girls toys. Your kid will be allowed to play with whatever they want. He would also unironically have a blast playing pretend with dolls or action figures. I'm talking a 25-part narrative with backstories, lore, worldbuilding, and an Endgame-style final conflict.

Genji, Kiriko, Tracer, and B.O.B would be the kings and queens of "don't tell your parents." Extra screen-time, taking them out for ice cream, staying up a little later then their normal bedtime, etc. What I would call "a healthy amount of rule-breaking." They have everyone else convinced they are Responsible™ but you can't help noticing that your kid is always excited to hangout with them.

Ana and Torbjorn could be depended on the same way you can trust grandma and grandpa. They've had kids, so they know all the tips, tricks, and games to keep your kid clean, fed, safe, and happy. Just don't tell them some dumb shit like "organic, non-gmo fruits only." Your kid will be eating bananas from the supermarket like everyone else. But for more sensible rules, even the ones they don't agree with, they will follow them.

Echo will make you fill out a 200-question survey and write an essay on how you want your kid cared for. She will follow every instruction down to the letter, and send you updates every 30 minutes. If your kid sneezes, she will call you to ask about it. The downside is your kid will probably hate her for being such a rules monger.

Baptiste, Illari, Lucio, and Sojourn would try so hard to be responsible and follow your instructions, but puppy-eyes work on them 80% of the time. Your home will look like a warzone when you get back, but they'll help you clean up.

Lifeweaver, Pharah, Mei, and Zarya would get a whiff of that specific smell babies have that makes your DNA scream at you to make one yourself. They would be the sweetest, most gentle caretakers on this list. They'll spend most of the time snuggling on the couch, watching T.V. and drinking hot coco. Would let your kid give them a makeover, paint their nails, and play with their hair. Would read to and rock them to sleep, tuck them in really snug. They'd probably look forward to seeing your kid again, and every time you happen upon one of them, they'll only ask what's going on with the kiddo.

Sombra, Symmetra, and Widowmaker would rather be water-boarded then spend five minutes with those sticky-fingered cunt goblins you call kids.

Ashe, Hanzo, and Winston would happily agree to babysit for you, thinking they will be serviceable at it. How hard could it be? Then an hour later they call you, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and beg you to come back, because your kid is crying or throwing a tantrum. They definitely have the potential to be great caretakers, but they would need someone to walk them through it at first.

Bastion and Sigma definitely WANT to give babysitting a try, but they understand why that's probably not a safe idea. They would question your intelligence if you asked them.

Cassidy and D.va would take your kid to McDonalds or somewhere else with else with a play-place, and let them go wild while they sit on a bench nearby. They will do the bare minimum amount of work to keep your kid alive, because they have better things to do. Would only babysit as a favor for you if no one else is available.

Mercy is married to her work, and Ramattra is dedicated to his mission. If you somehow convince them to watch your kid for even a single hour, they'll set-up a playpen with whatever toys they like, toss in a sippy cup and snack every now and then, and ignore their existence while they do their usual business.

Doomfist, Moira, Reaper, and Soldier: 76 would tape your kid to a chair the first time it annoys them. I know there's the fandom joke of S76 being the dad of the team, but he's always come off as grumpy and impatient to me.

Your kid would love the junkers (Junker Queen, Junkrat, Roadhog, Wrecking Ball) for all the wrong reasons. They would teach your kid how to make a grenade launcher out of plastic bottles and rubber bands, 37 new swear words, and how to punch people in the throat. Unless you want to get a call from the school about your kid blowing up the chemistry room, I would choose literally anyone else to babysit.

Mauga would use your kids to get dates. He'll take your daughter to a dance class and talk to any single parents about how much of a family man he is and how difficult being a single dad. He'll take your son to play catch in a park so he has an excuse to take his shirt off and flex his muscles. He'll coach your kid to walk up to someone and say, "my uncle thinks your pretty, so maybe you can play with us."

[barananduen]

Art Advice: Advancing in Art: The 3 Ps

For people who are new to art, new to a different medium, or just need some motivation.

Keeping what I call "The Three Ps" in mind will help you power through and not quit before you've reached your goal.

I - PRACTICE

It sounds cliché, but practicing is necessary; not just for art, but for everything. Much like athletes spend years in the youth levels, learning the skills, before they can become professionals... and then even when they're pros, they go to training every day, to hone their skills. Just like they do, so, too, must an artist practice.

Practice can be anything. It doesn't mean you must shade so many spheres before you can-- no! You can shake it up! You practice and hone your skills with every drawing you make. You can practice drawing your OCs, your pet, your favorite piece of decoration in your house. Practice with something that makes you excited to draw!

Train yourself to draw different things. When you do a new drawing, try different head angles, lighting, perspective. Try landscapes, still lives, different types of animals. It won't come out perfect the first few times, but keep trying. Each different thing you learn will add new skills to your set, and the more of these you collect, the easier it will become to make that drawing just as it is in your head!

Every artist screws up sometimes; even professionals! Do not be discouraged; every mistake takes you one step closer to where you want to be.

Don't worry about making everything perfect. Just draw! Then look at the imperfections and address them, but don't let them hold you back! Here's an article that will help you keep a positive outlook when things don't come out the way you want: [Art Advice: How to Have a Positive Outlook] It also explains a method that you can use to analyze your not-perfect drawings to identify what you need to fix and how (See #2 in that article).

II - PATIENCE

I often see beginner artists feeling upset because they're not getting "good" at art quickly. Art learning is a long-term process; it takes several years for people to get "good" at art. In fact, you never stop learning and changing and improving. The trick is to stick with it and not give up!

"Rome was not built in a day." - proverb; unknown source

Be patient with yourself. Give yourself time. In the meantime, enjoy the ride!

III - PERSEVERANCE

Imagine a miner who's digging for a precious metal, has been digging for years, becomes disappointed, and gives up and closes the mine. But they were two days away from hitting the vein! They just didn't know it and quit before they could reap the results! Don't be the miner who gives up before hitting the vein!

Keep on arting! Keep on practicing! Keep on challenging yourself and keep it fun! You WILL get to where you want to be!

Keep your goal in mind and don't give up before you reach it!

All the best wishes, ~B~

MORE ART ADVICE ARTICLES

You can find the index to all Art Advice Articles [here] including:

How to Deal with Art Block

How to Have a Positive Outlook

How to Develop Your Own Style

etc.

[eitherlyingorstupid]

I imagine that pregnancy and organic-style reproduction was a thing among Transformers millions upon millions of years ago, but once they got the Allspark up and running they kind of abandoned it. In fact, most of the documents that pertained to this type of reproduction were destroyed in the Great Purge, and only the oldest of the oldest bots, like Alpha Trion, have ever even heard of it.

They still have "sticky" sexual arrays, of course, but their only use is for recreation.

Then the war happened, the Allspark was lost, and everything went to scrap.

Once the war was over, the missing Allspark became a really, really big problem, because protoforms are useless without the Allspark to give life to them.

That's when the millions of years old pregnancy programming kicks in, and bots everywhere are randomly seized with a desperate, intense urge to frag or get fragged immediately. Their internal temperature rises to dangerous levels, and the only thing that relieves this mysterious new ailment is to have a certain amount of transfluid in the valve.

After a while, medics are surprised to discover that a tiny protoform is growing inside some bots… a protoform with a spark, no less. This is huge news. Now, Cybertron can be repopulated with pre-sparked protoforms, and the Allspark is no longer needed.

Eventually, heat suppressants and a method of birth control are created and generally become available to most Autobots. The heat coding can't be turned off without practically lobotomizing the bot, so it's kinda something they have to live with.

HOWEVER, it's important to note that Decepticons and warframes, while they do have arrays, don't have forges (wombs). They also don't have heats, and Shockwave, while going undercover at Autobot Boot Camp, realizes this far too late.

But he can't really code himself into being able to get heats, and he is a good actor but not "faking a heat" good. So when Bumblebee asks why Longarm hasnt been in heat yet, Longarm replies its because his cycle just finished before he came to Boot Camp.

"Oh," so Bumblebee says, "you'll be due in about… 40 stellar cycles, then, huh? That overlaps with my heat. We should partner up." (Bumblebee's already thinking about if Longarm's dick can stretch like his limbs can).

"That sounds delightful," Longarm lies through his teeth. (Internally, he's sweating bullets and trying to figure out what to do).

A few stellar cycles later, Ironhide goes into heat and gets clanged against the wall by Wasp. Longarm's never actually seen an Autobot in heat before, and it's… something.

Bots are very loud, very desperate, and very unconcerned about who sees them interfacing. And they go all day, and most of the night. Longarm has to recharge to the sound of metal on metal and formulate how he acts when his heat will supposedly hit.

Thankfully, Bumblebee goes into heat before Longarm is due, and he helps Bee with it. He's not prepared for how much stamina Bee has, nor how many rounds he's willing to go for (which is a lot). Longarm has to beg Ironhide to take over for him, lest he be completely drained of transfluid.

When it comes to his own (fake) heat, Longarm tries his best to emulate Bumblebee. The size difference means Bee has to go for quite a few rounds before Longarm's valve is full, and Longarm feels like a shriveled-up husk by the time it's finally over.

[summer-gh0st]

I'm writing a story with some interactions where a nonbinary character is meeting people they couldn't tell the gender of and I end up with a lot of confusing "theys" even when I use proper nouns for the character in question. any ideas of how to not just toss around a bunch of "they said"s and such without saying the same descriptors over and over like "the one on the right" ?

Ah, what I live for!! You market yourself as an lgbt+ editor and then all you get is straight romance or fantasy with straight romance. Bleh

Moving on! This is really interesting, because it’s probably really context dependent and I’m not sure I can give the best answer without grappling with the lines themselves. I would possibly point to my previous post with character/setting/action, to try to avoid dialogue tags by describing the character who’s speaking, the setting, or the action they’re doing. This is a good way to avoid getting confused in any situation where two characters use the same pronoun (ie, when two he/him characters are the only ones on the page). Especially character can be helpful — if the reader knows that the main character has blue hair, let’s say, and the new character has brown, then a dialogue line ending with “…they ran their fingers through their brown hair” or something like that will help differentiate who’s speaking.

Also, using names is never a bad thing, and while it can get overused, tolerance for that is usually much higher when we have a same-pronoun situation.

Another method of differentiation is different speech patterns. If we know our main character with blue hair (let’s call them Blue) has a particular way of speaking, then making the new character have a different way of speaking will set them apart in a very easy to read but hard to notice sort of way. It’s meta, and really engrained in the style, but can be awfully effective. Let’s say Blue has a somewhat posh tone — they use fancy words because they read too much and have a very refined sense of style from studying philosophy at university. The new character could then have a southern accent, and speak very slowly with lots of y’alls, and ums, because they literally grew up in a barn with their beloved horse companion and don’t know how to talk to people. An extreme example, but it showcases my point: could you ever imagine these two people having the same tone of voice, and getting their dialogue lines mixed up with each other? Usually, no. And that’s one of the great, wonderful, and magical things about dialogue. :)

To sum up, I think that would be my general advice: character/setting/action; names are okay, and overusing them is harder in a same-pronoun situation; different tones of voice (this one is my favorite because it forces a lot of characterization!).

I hope this helps + wasnt too long, and let me know if you have any further questions. :)

[elysiansparadise]

Hi! I also have a question, not astrology related.

How did you become such a good writer?

I'm looking for inspiration to put my thoughts into words. I'm socially awkward and introverted, so I'm not the best always at expressing myself.

Thanks.

I'd love to start by saying that I'm deeply touched that you consider me so good at writing, it is one of the compliments I am most happy to hear/read, so thank you very much. I prefer to share with you how I improved and felt confident about my writing.

🤎I wrote daily. I used to daydream about writing and not doing it actively, one day I got tired and preferred to get in front of the computer and write a bit. I made writing a habit, not just any habit, but my favorite. If I didn't feel well I would write about my own feelings, in addition to practicing writing I would vent.

🤎I worried about my surroundings. I made sure to turn off the television, put on my favorite music, wear comfortable clothes, have a comfort drink with me before getting back to writing.

🤎I made my passions the main theme of my writing. Astrology? I made notes in my notebook until I filled dozens of them. New crush? Hundreds of poems describing in a thousand different ways my feelings when looking at that person. Find out what topics you are passionate about so you can write about them.

🤎I practiced different styles. From the most technical, clean and to the point writing, to the most poetic and metaphorical that you can imagine. The trick is not to be afraid to experiment, let yourself be carried away by what you write.

🤎Reading is as important as writing. Reading can help you find out which styles you like and which you don't. I found that while I love romantic and poetic language, but when it's "too much" to such a degree that the main point vanishes, I lose interest. It also expands your vocabulary and helps you find new interests.

🤎I got rid of the idea of ​​writing for others before writing for me. Public opinion is a weight that you carry on your back that can harm your posture regarding writing all your life. Although listening to opinions is crucial to improve, you have to discern which to listen to and which to ignore. Care more about writing for you and topics you like before caring which topics other may rather.

🤎Music was my greatest company. And it still is. Random Playlist and my mind is in charge of creating interesting scenarios. Music helped me explore emotions that were foreign to me at that time.

🤎I hung out with people who were PASSIONATE about writing or watched videos of writers talking about their next novel. Passion is contagious, you know? There is nothing more empowering for our inner writer than seeing the sparkle in the eyes, the huge smile or the fire with which other people express themselves when they talk about writing. It just motivated me not to stop writing.

These are just a couple of things, I think it depends a lot on the person. I sincerely hope you find a method that allows you to put what you think into words, I'm sure that what you have to tell is interesting and valuable. All the best to you, love. 🤎

[gabessquishytum]

Love, love, LOVE the idea of Dream keeping Hob as a very large dildo. It’s just chef’s kiss. The idea that Dream, after a ONS just asks Hob to make a cast of his cock- it has me in stitches :D And then he goes out after he breaks it to find Hob again… I’m imagining a scenario where he is insistent on finding Hob by his cock alone, determined to pull down the pants of a variety of strangers to get to The One Cock, kinda Cinderella style. (Though in my heart he sees Hob again and remembers him, because Hob’s very handsome and Dream has a crush on more than him than his massive dick.)

It’s very slutty of him, which is my absolutely favourite version of Dream.

Anyway, Dream takes very good care of his toys, especially the ones he likes the most. The Fake-Hob-Dildo only broke because Dream was using it so much and so vigorously. (He keeps it as a memento tho, decorating the dresser in his bedroom.) Like, he’s buying the very good lube and toy cleaner, he stores them in special cases, etc. which translates to him taking Very Good Care of his newest toy: Hob.

He’s still buying the good lube, but now it’s flavoured or heats up or delays Hob’s orgasms (Dream especially likes that one). He’s prepping bubble baths for Hob to relax after he’s used him for three hours straight (plus he gets some extra cuddles that way). He’s giving Hob tons of new underwear, either pretty ones, for when they meet up and Dream wants something to look at or special comfy ones, that prevent chafing and the likes.

He also buys a lot of toys to go with Hob’s cock, because now he can variate! Before, Dream had mastered the art of using three different toys at once, but now that he has Hob, he has so much more room to play around!

His favourites though are the toys that make Hob’s cock “better”: rings that keep him hard longer so Dream can use him as long as he want, sleeves for texture, a vibrator that sends shocks through Dream whenever he’s taking Hob’s cock to the hilt. It’s amazing! And it’s giving him ideas.

See, Hob’s cock is so large, that Dream cannot buy standard toys. The rings and sleeves are just too small. They’re meant for the average penis, which Hob’s got beat. So he has to get them custom made and it’s giving him ideas. What if Hob’s cock were even larger?

So he sets up a regimen for Hob to grow his cock. He gets him a pump and special made sleeves. He cooks him food that’s supposed to help. He’s forbidding Hob to cum unless his cock is all the way in Dreams arse (and sometimes his mouth) and he give him the go ahead. Dream takes exact measurements every day: morning, noon (if they can arrange it), and night. He measures Hob’s cock fully erect and after they’ve had sex. (He tried measuring Hob’s flaccid cock before sex but that didn’t work because usually is apparently always aroused around him?) He has data on what the use of various methods did and if they actually helped grow Hob’s cock. He notes all of it down in a notebook, totally focused even after he’s fucked himself silly on Hob’s cock for an hours.

Hob isn’t entirely sure what’s gotten him into this position (namely: on his back on Dream’s bed, having his cock alternately sucked and measured) but he sees no reason to complain. He’s developed a crush on Dream the minute he saw him the first time, which by now has developed in love bordering on obsession. He wants to marry him. The sex is absolutely brillant and he’ll gladly give Dream everything he wants or needs and if that’s mainly his cock- well, he’s happy to be along for the ride. Literally.

Love, 💄

I'm so obsessed with massively hung subby service top Hob. Even better? Dream trying to make it his dick bigger. Amazing. Galaxy brain once again.

Dream has a whole set of "instruments" to help him. Measuring tape, a little notebook with all his measurements in, comparative photographs, sometimes even a little digital scale so he can weigh Hob’s balls. He's very serious in his quest and Hob is quite happy to enjoy the humiliation of lying there, being measured like a prize winning farm animal. Within a few months he finds himself getting hard if he even looks at the measuring tape.

He loves being Dream’s favourite toy (especially when Dream literally refers to him as that). He gets so much attention, so much of Dream’s precious time and energy. There are pretty gifts, too: custom cock rings, outfits which highlight his bulge, the cutest lingerie he's ever seen. Dream is basically sugar daddying his cock at this point and he loves it. He's always wanted to be somebody's good boy, but usually ended up being expected to be dominant in most of his hookups because, ya know, big dick energy.

What starts as a kinky hookup becomes a very serious longterm relationship. There's a lot to be said about sexual compatability, and Hob has often struggled with his dick being too big for his partners. Meanwhile Dream has always been just a little bit dissatisfied with every dick he's ever encountered. It isn't perfect but it does really really work.

(Dream claims to have put half an extra inch on Hob’s cock, btw. Hob refuses to verify whether this is true or not 😏)

[stardewvalleybut-i-draw]

Sorry to bother but do you happen to have any tips/advice on drawing bodies and heads??

I ABSOLUTELY DO!!! it's no bother at all

What you need to keep in mind is that a lot of my advice is a suggestion and what I'm comfortable with

Heads: I draw a circle to represent the head and then split it in what direction I want the character to face and add another line for the eyes I use the circle because it's easier for me to imagine it in a 3D space and spin it around in my head!

Tip: drawing circles is pretty hard so you can use the circle tool to help you practice! NOTE: some people use different shapes like triangles and squares for a more defined skull, it depends on the style you're going for and how exaggerated you need the head to look I use this as basic building blocks, not as final, so if the eyes and mouth are too high or too big, I can move it around no problem! after that, I make the jaw and shape out the head THEN I figure out where the hairline would be and add hair! Tip: if you use the circle method, push up the top of the circle to add a more oval look to the skull ears for me are usually half the eye so that's where I place them My biggest tip: if you don't know how to draw the face from a certain perspective REFERENCES ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND Just Google it and see what you find in images :D

Bodies: bodies are a whole different beast best tip I can give you here is to break everything down into basic shapes

I used the rectangle stick people for a LONG time before I could just draw the basic shapes on their own so I recommend it! I start from the torso down so I go: torso, arms, belly, pelvis, then legs (ofc I would have sketched out a pose beforehand, I don't just dive in😅)

If you need help with deciding how long the arms are, the hand is usually at the halfway of your thigh or slightly higher The legs... depend on how tall they are and the style Honestly, a lot of things depend on the style because style can change how proportional everything is EX: I like drawing faces, my absolute favorite thing, SO because of that, my style has bigger heads to put more focus on it but if I were to just draw a super realistic atomically correct body with a bigger head it would look weird. so the body is simplified and the hands and feet are slightly bigger to make everything look even! so it depends on what you want to put more focus on but that leads to another SUPER BIG IMPORTANT tip: I wish I was told this when I was much younger but... Do not care about "finding your style" Your style will be whatever you like your style will be what you are comfortable drawing in YOUR style... will grow with you You will have many styles as you go because your style will be a combination of artists you admire and like looking at HECK this soft style I do for Stardew Valley is just one of my styles I draw a lot of body horror or any horror really and sometimes heavy metal band-like art in the real world BUT I BET NONE OF YOU WOULD HAVE GUESS THAT LMAOO so have fun discovering what you like! and use references for stuff you don't know! I hope some of this was helpful, I think I started rambling at some point...

[honoura]

disclaimer: this spawned off a twitter thread i made a while back, which itself came from something i’d noticed time and again within the xiv community: the idea that photography isn’t possible there. i’ve seen this a few times, and ultimately what i felt to be the truer statement is that digital photography as we know it in our phones, no. that is not a very accessible thing. most eorzeans aren’t getting a garland ironworks tomephone.

but that doesn’t mean they aren’t taking pictures.

A Case for Eorzean Photography

In the case of our modern world, the art of capturing an image onto paper directly from life dates back to the 1820s. It was called heliography. A wikipedia article on it can be found here. Heliography came about because its inventor wished for an efficient way to reproduce lithographs, engravings, and relief prints, three different illustration styles that had existed by now for varying lengths of time, but all still in use and being the choice method for adding images to text. I’m going to give a short bit of information on each style, because they are also very likely quite prevalent.

Woodcut (Relief)

Woodcut is as its name implies -- you carve your image into a block of wood, coat the raised portions with ink, and then use it in the press. Accessible to learn, accessible to do, if you want rp flavor there’s likely illustrators in every city-state employing this for the newspapers or illustrated editions of books.

Intaglio (Engraving)

Intaglio is my favorite printmaking method for illustrations, and probably also my favorite for FF14 because it involves playing with chemicals! Let’s get the alchemist roleplayers we know something cool to do. Anyway, with intaglio you’re using acid to burn an image into a metal plate, and the deeper the etchings the darker the shadows. Great for values, great for depth, and have I mentioned you’re just being a little scientist and an artist at the same time?

Lithography

Lithography is the one you’ve seen the most, even if you aren’t 100% sure how it works. It became very popular in the late 19th and early 20th century -- if you’ve ever gawked at vintage illustrations by Mucha or Leyendecker, those are lithographs! Some of the big plates used for them are just big rocks! Miners could 100% mine up limestone slabs for this.

Anyway, back to photographs. After heliographs cracked the capture nut suddenly everyone was getting in on it. People were mixing all kinds of chemicals to capture the world as it was at a moment onto a plate of glass (or others! they liked silver too).

Physautotypes used lavender oil as its photosensitive agent. Tree resin was also popular. Both things botanists would routinely be able to harvest and crafters able to distill. I can only imagine how it smelled to make photographs with this, I hope it was nice!

About 20 years after the earliest heliograph came daguerrotypes. Made on silver plates with a copper substrate, daguerrotypes were pricy but popular -- and they had their own special camera made rather than using a camera obscura.

Daguerrotypes were also when spirit photography came into prominence.

Ambrotypes came on the heels of daguerrotypes as a cheaper alternative made with less costly materials, and was followed by their even cheaper brethren the tintypes. Bit by bit, photographs were becoming more accessible -- not always the equipment (or the supplies), but in terms of a person or group of people having a portrait made you were starting to see that become more common.

Ambrotype above, tintype below

Let it be said also that less costly materials does not mean lower quality image -- each method had its own charm. Tintypes were sturdier than ambrotypes, but both developed quicker than daguerrotypes. Ambrotypes could also have spot colors added to them!  

Albumen prints made it to paper, and until we went digital that’s where photographs stayed, on paper! And one of their key binding materials was made from eggs, beautifully common eggs.

So Where Does This Leave Eorzea?

So why did I go into this much detail, with visual examples and links to references that include their materials? Because all these materials exist already within FFXIV. Glass, plates, the types of metals used, the types of chemicals.

They’re part of crafting logs, and gathering leves, and dungeon drops. Alchemists can make these chemical components, goldsmith quests have you making lenses and other more delicate mechanisms, carpenters could easily build boxes for camera obscura (and cameras!).

Different styles of photography and different materials used for them reflect availability of the materials -- where does this character live, what are their cultural beliefs, do they travel much outside of their home region? How much money do they have?

What if using unaspected crystals creates a different effect on the plate? With the right kind of aetherial charge, don’t you think you could photograph ghosts in actuality rather than trickery? There’s a whole quest in 1.0 where an NPC sees the ghost of the city of Sil’dih -- a ghost city!

At any rate, I just think it’s neat to look at what materials exist in this game, and how things from this world may translate to that with the understanding it will not be 21st century. We have a lot of technology that’s existed longer than we sometimes recall or acknowledge -- and it’s good material! Use that stuff! Have fun with it!

[flowercrowns-n-punks]

hellooo ^_^ i saw that u said u would do doodle reqs for hermie votes & id love to see a Nicky if that’s not too much to ask — ur art style is sooo cute :]

also i’d love to hear some of ur headcanons for him if you’d like to share ?!

Oh Hi!!!!

Its not!!! You're my first request ever so i got carried away lol mixing the doodle with hc requests lol.

Also thank youu!! Btw your art is amazing btw.

Hcs:

Nick when he was fully Glenn's kid tried to look like glenn alot cause he loved his dad. The only differences was the way nick dyed bits of his hair.

While the older he got after the timeline shenangains of the methbay arc, he got more demon like and where he usually dyes his hair turned to fire. [Man was so dissapointed]

Got a lot more piercings too!!

Also has alot of tattoos of varying kinds, before he lost his arm he does have a small tattoo line on hus shoulder blade representing each kiddad.

I imagine him really liking flowers as a personal tbing so his good arm has a arm sleeve of varying flowers.

While his arm that was took off and after not as bitter about it and trying not think about got a snake tattoo trailing round his shoulder & nub.

---

Want a doodle request go vote for hermie!! Send proof and ill give you a doodle!!: