193 posts
it's 2022. donald trump has died in disgrace days after being impeached and jailed. my chemical romance's new album is coming out the same day as the new spiderverse movie. the lizzo and janelle monaé collab song is blowing up the radio. lil nas x has a verse in it. you and your partner have time and energy for dates after work after jeff bezos' assets have been seized and distributed to the public in the wake of his arrest for keeping employees in unsafe working conditions.
This can apply both to magic and fictional science, because it’s essentially just a magic system in disguise!
There is a whole spectrum from hard systems (with a very particular set of rules that can’t be broken) to soft systems (characters don’t know everything about the rules and the workings or the rules are flexible). Where on this spectrum your system falls depends on you and your story.
A good way to start out is by asking three questions:
What is possible? What is impossible? What is the price?
Two stupid examples:
Fantasy: With this magic shoes you can fly ten feet above the ground. But you can only fly up, not forward. And your feet will hurt like hell for the next three days after you’ve used them.
Scifi: With this laser gun you can shoot people to stun them. But you can’t kill them with it. And to power it you need to buy a bunch of those little button batteries you never seem to get anywhere.
Try starting with those questions and work from there.
If you want to learn more about building a magic system and scifi/fantasy writing in general, check out these free lectures on youtube by author Brandon Sanderson, I learned a lot!
yall look at this shit ad*be is tryna pull now on ppl who have outdated software:
(note for context: i’m all for piracy, but in this case my copy of CS6 was downloaded years ago when they were giving it away to students. i got it totally legally.)
Pose Studies by Nieris
Support the artist and check them out on Instagram and Twitter!
what were the most common injuries in medieval battle, and how would they be treated, or how long would they take to heal?
https://inky-duchess.tumblr.com/post/174751317743/fantasy-guide-common-battle-wounds-and-how-to-fix
Want LOADS MORE like this? Today I’m posting TONS of EXTRA tutorials, tips and references on OUR MASSIVE INSTAGRAM HERE and OUR GIANT TWITTER HERE! PLUS! THREE HUNDRED EXTRA FREE TUTORIALS RIGHT HERE! Lorenzo!
This is great writing advice, but many people are wary about following it because they misunderstand what the terms “borrowing” and “stealing” mean in this context.
I’m here to clarify.
Borrowing is using something of someone else’s. Stealing is making something your own.
This advice means two things:
I’ve spoken before about stealing in How to Steal: Know Your Tropes. When you see story elements** in a book you love, don’t think that they’re now off-limits to you forever. Just because you love The Great Gatsby and it’s set in 1920s New York doesn’t mean that you can now never write a story set in 1920s New York. Just because you love I Capture the Castle and it’s written as the protagonist’s journal, doesn’t mean you can never write a novel that takes the form of the protagonist’s journal. Just because Scooby-Doo… you get my point by now, don’t you?
Take note of what you love in other stories.*** Remember those elements–the plot twists, character arcs, tropes, settings, etc.–and then use them to write a story full of things you love.
Borrowing, in this definition, would be writing about a 1920s bootlegger in love with the girl across the way, trying desperately to impress her with his wealth. You’re stealing from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby… and making it no less F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story.
This example steals too much from one place. It’s too timid in it’s approach. it’s too afraid to take anything from the story, so it keeps everything the same. Anything that tries to be like Gatsby, but better is destined to fail. (Maybe a little like Gatsby himself. Just throw a bigger party, old sport! That’ll do the trick!)
The key to stealing is stealing from multiple things at once until it looks like your very own thing. Stealing is writing a novel about a gang of mystery solving teenagers in 1920s New York, told in the form of a journal the group takes turns writing in. (Because we’re going to add a splash of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants here.)
Stealing is saying: these story elements are mine now and I’m going to use them the way I like, combined with my interests. And you know what? By stealing bits and pieces from all of the things you love, you’re creating something unique and new and wonderful.
So go out there. And steal. Never borrow.
*This is commonly attributed to him at least. The internet tells me he definitely said something close to it.
**Obviously, this doesn’t apply to the words themselves. Never steal somebody else’s words. Basically everything else is up for grabs, though.
***You’re not limited to stealing from books. Steal from movies. From TV shows. From plays. From epic poetry. From that anecdote your neighbor told you last week.
Just like in martial arts, conveying power is a matter of chaining things together.
all the tips I found for drawing a fantasy map are like :) “here’s a strategy to draw the land masses! here’s how to plot islands!” :) and that’s wonderful and I love them all but ??? how? do y'all decide where to put cities/mountains/forests/towns I have my map and my land but I’m throwing darts to decide where the Main Citadel where the Action Takes Place is
Some words to use when writing things:
winking
clenching
pulsing
fluttering
contracting
twitching
sucking
quivering
pulsating
throbbing
beating
thumping
thudding
pounding
humming
palpitate
vibrate
grinding
crushing
hammering
lashing
knocking
driving
thrusting
pushing
force
injecting
filling
dilate
stretching
lingering
expanding
bouncing
reaming
elongate
enlarge
unfolding
yielding
sternly
firmly
tightly
harshly
thoroughly
consistently
precision
accuracy
carefully
demanding
strictly
restriction
meticulously
scrupulously
rigorously
rim
edge
lip
circle
band
encircling
enclosing
surrounding
piercing
curl
lock
twist
coil
spiral
whorl
dip
wet
soak
madly
wildly
noisily
rowdily
rambunctiously
decadent
degenerate
immoral
indulgent
accept
take
invite
nook
indentation
niche
depression
indent
depress
delay
tossing
writhing
flailing
squirming
rolling
wriggling
wiggling
thrashing
struggling
grappling
striving
straining
the suffering never ends
Here are ten questions to ask that will not put your friend in a tough spot, but will still give you some useful input on your novel:
1. At what point did you feel like “Ah, now the story has really begun!” 2. What were the points where you found yourself skimming? 3. Which setting in the book was clearest to you as you were reading it? Which do you remember the best? 4. Which character would you most like to meet and get to know? 5. What was the most suspenseful moment in the book? 6. If you had to pick one character to get rid of, who would you axe? 7. Was there a situation in the novel that reminded you of something in your own life? 8. Where did you stop reading, the first time you cracked open the manuscript? (Can show you where your first dull part is, and help you fix your pacing.) 9. What was the last book you read, before this? And what did you think of it? (This can put their comments in context in surprising ways, when you find out what their general interests are. It might surprise you.) 10. Finish this sentence: “I kept reading because…”
Your friend is probably still going to tell you, “It was good!” However, if you can ask any specific questions, and read between the lines, you can still get some helpful information out of even the most well-meaning reader.
Source: Examiner
So I’m not sure what to call this
But I figured I’d at least try to impart my knowledge of (hank hill voice) weapons and weapon accessories.
If you like this, tell me, and I might do another tutorial some time!
Drawing Men’s Shirt Collars Row 1 & 2 Row 3: Left(Unknown), Right Row 4: Left(Unknown), Right Row 5 Row 6
Just in case you forget this exists.
It exists.
I made these as a way to compile all the geographical vocabulary that I thought was useful and interesting for writers. Some descriptors share categories, and some are simplified, but for the most part everything is in its proper place. Not all the words are as useable as others, and some might take tricky wording to pull off, but I hope these prove useful to all you writers out there!
(save the images to zoom in on the pics)
For artists who have problems with perspective (furniture etc.) in indoor scenes like me - there’s an online programm called roomsketcher where you can design a house/roon and snap pictures of it using different perspectives.
It’s got an almost endless range of furniture, doors, windows, stairs etc and is easy to use. In addition to that, you don’t have to install anything and if you create an account (which is free) you can save and return to your houses.
Examples (all done by me):
Here’s an example for how you can use it
Dragon Anatomy Top Image Row 1 Row 2 Row 3 Row 4 Row 5 Bottom Image
I thought I’d post some helpful links to sites I use for extra cash. These sites have saved my bacon more than a few times in the past couple of years. I can vouch that they do work and are not scams. I’ll post info with each site and how they work.
1.) Swagbucks This one is my go to website because it has the most to do. You can watch videos on your tablet, iphone, or desktop. There’s surveys you can fill out and special offers that are free(though if you do those special offers I’d use a junk email, but keep in mind that you do need to register for Swagbucks with the email associated with your paypal so you can get paid). Since I’m a stay at home mom I am mostly doing this all day long while doing my art commissions or running this blog. I earn about $100-$200 a month from this site alone. They also have giftcards to other stores, and if you redeem some of the $25 giftcards they are 300 sb(equivalent to $3) once a month. So I suggest redeeming one wal mart giftcard a month to take advantage of that and save the 300 sb(sb are points btw). Use this to get yourself groceries or necessities. The rest of the month you can redeem paypal and you can get that cash transferred to your bank to help pay for bills.
*removed*
3.) Inbox Dollars This one is very slow to pay out for me but that’s only because I JUST do the emails. It does offer special offers, surveys, and videos like swagbucks but I only concentrate my efforts on clicking the links in the emails they send me. By clicking the links in the emails you earn 2 cents. This adds up with time and its easy to do when you check your email like you normally do. It takes very little effort so it’s worth adding to your daily routine. If you want to do more on this site then you’ll earn faster. They mostly just send you a check, but they do offer a debit card and giftcards now.
I love this site because it’s great for references, even if you don’t 3D sculpt! I’d love to get into that eventually though, because it sounds amazing.
https://sketchfab.com
What’s lit is you can easily drag and rotate the model (some are animated!) and adjust the lighting/rendering, all from a web browser.
They also have a mobile app with AR.
I love using the models!
boot
If you make an account, you can subscribe to collections to track for updates. I have ones for anatomy and animals.
Note, these models have a royalty free license. It’s often good to credit your references, but royalty free licenses mean you are fine if you don’t.
Hope you love this as much as I do!
sadly
I'm like shaking right now. One of my cats is acting sick and he's not eating. And this quarantine is fucking me up cause I can't sell things like I usually would. Just earlier I asked for help and it did go for pet supplies that I bought in stock. But now it turns out there's some things I need until I have enough money and a ride to take my cat to the vet. I need to keep him full of fluids. So I desperately need wet food and pumpkin. I can take monetary donations or you can get it for my on my wishlist. I'm DESPERATE. PLEASE HELP.
My PayPal is restmychemistry78550@gmail.com
And my Amazon wishlist is here
I need the chicken weruva on the list. Please if you can't donate please reblog.
send these to a writer you know or answer some yourself!
ink: what do you do to “set the mood” when writing?
pen and paper: do you prefer writing by hand or on a device? why?
diary: how many pieces have you written that are just for you or will never see the light of day?
journal: do you ever write just so you can enjoy something to read?
novella: do you prefer to write short stories, one-shots, or entire novels?
pulitzer: tell about/link a piece where you fielt your writing was the best.
genre: what genre do you prefer to write in?
narrator: what pov do you like writing in best?
backstory: how did you come to love writing?
time-lapse: how long have you been writing (as a hobby or for work)?
characterization: describe your favorite character(s) you’ve written.
carnegie: what authors and/or books/stories have inspired you to write or influenced your work?
faulkner: what tropes do you LOVE writing? which ones are your guilty pleasure?
o’connor: what tropes/genres do you dislike writing?
dickinson: what insecurities do you have about your own writing? what do you think you should improve on?
playlist: what kind of music/songs help you write? do you have a writing playlist?
record: have you written things based off of songs? do you like to?
nobel: have you published anything you’ve written? online or irl?
notepad: can you write anywhere or do you have to be in a specific place and mood to write?
parchment: how often do you or your personal life influence your writing?
dedication: if you were to publish a book or multiple, who would you dedicate the book(s) to?
trope: what’s a pet peeve you have about writing?
input: what’s something you hate that people say to you about writing/your writing?
critic: what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received about writing?
mifflin: what do you feel is your strong suit in writing?
houghton: what’s something you love that people compliment your pieces on?
attacka you with a branch
what are your favorite soft crush/love songs ?
i have soo many but i am all for the softness
let’s get married, mitski cover
i was made for loving you by tori kelly
from the ground up by sleeping at last
i’m with you by vance joy
the few things by jp saxe
grow as we go by ben platt
carry you by novo armor
i’ll keep you safe by sleeping at last
loved you before by natalie taylor
livewire by oh wonder
you are in love by taylor swift
you matter to me by sara barielles / jessie mueller
can’t fight this feeling anymore, bastille cover
you are the reason by calum scott
make you feel my love, sleeping at last cover