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Helpful - Blog Posts
I hate "it's not trying to be accurate!" arguments for historical fiction or historically-inspired fantasy clothing choices that just. don't make sense logistically
why is that girl in Br*dgerton tightlacing her stays? what is she reducing- her upper ribcage? not only can you not tightlace in those (hand-bound eyelets can't usually take that strain, in my experience), but there's no reason to because your waistline is under your boobs. and unlike most of the series, they actually commit to the empire waistline for the court presentation gowns. small waists don't matter when NOBODY IS SEEING YOUR WAIST
why no chemise, in so many productions? fantasy/lack of concern for accuracy can't make things not chafe. chafing is not a matter of accuracy; it's a physical reality. did a wizard give everybody in the kingdom Anti-Chafing Spells?
just because you don't WANT a linen underlayer beneath a medieval tunic doesn't mean sweat won't get to outer garments and damage them- or make them need laundering, which weakens the fibers -at a time when all clothing is handmade, custom-fitted, and created from hand-woven fabrics and thus a HUGE investment
you're not just throwing accuracy to the winds as a design choice; you're ignoring How Textiles And Bodies And the Realities of Your Technology Level's Fabric and Laundering Capabilities Work
I’m gonna try this out! thank you!
I discovered something useful today, taking breaks or exercising never helps me but THIS does, sharing to save a life
THE CHAFF PROJECT
Hi! Are you cis in the UK and you'd like to support trans rights? Great!
How: buy a trans flag pin and wear it in public.
Why: chaff is an overwhelming amount of false positives so that when a missile gets close to the plane, it hits the chaff and not the plane.
In practice: the goal is to make it DIFFICULT to identify trans people to target with bathroom bans, and to create many FALSE POSITIVES for businesses.
Basically, you might get accused of being trans and kicked out, because of the badge. You say: I wear the badge because trans rights matter.
You follow up with a letter to the business saying you're fucking furious because some nosy dipshit just tried to play fucking genital police with you in the loos. You know lots of trans people (don't name any, if you do) and you wear the pin in support and you're disgusted at them for allowing this.
Blame the business for allowing the behaviour.
Businesses see that their cis customers are getting bothered over a badge and may clarify trans-inclusive policies, so they can kick out the bathroom botherers instead of nice cis allies.
You only need to buy and wear the badge, and you are protecting trans people. You can be genuinely heroic. Even one cis person doing this helps, and everyone you get to join in helps even more.
Non-affiliated badge link:
https://rainbowandco.uk/collections/trans-pride/products/transgender-pride-flag-badge
Sorry if it's a morbid question but I'm at that age when death is coming closer each day, and I'm wondering what to do with my fics on AO3 and tumblr should I die one day. Of course I can put them in a will or get someone's help. But me writing fanfics is like a secret identity that none of my family or friends know. They're not into it and I don't think they'll value them either. They'll probably trash them but I'll love for anyone to adopt them if they like to. So any ideas or suggestions?
Not morbid at all! Planning for the future isn’t depressing, it’s planning. Taking care of something that’s on your mind will only make you feel better about things, anyway :)
As for the answer to your question, AO3 has exactly what you’re looking for: Fannish Next of Kin. This is the person that you decide you want to have take care of your works after you die. They’re a fandom friend you trust, but you don’t have to know them in person. You don’t even need to know their real name. You just have to trust that they’ll follow your wishes after you’re gone.
In the event of your death, the Archive will transfer your account into that person’s control and they can manage it on your behalf.
For more information, read that link above. Just one more way that AO3 looks out for the “Our Own” part of the Archive :D.
I see a lot of new writers struggling with pacing dialogue so here's some tips. First off, unlearn your distaste for "said." If you need to quickly remind readers who is speaking without distracting them, put "said."
Second, if the dialogue is meant to be happening rapidly, cut tags out for several lines. Example:
"Give me the map."
"What map?"
"Don't play dumb with me. Hand it over."
"Not until you give me the keys."
"What keys?"
See how quickly this moves? Every beat is another piece of dialogue, feeding the exchange back and forth. We can slow this down by adding tags that carry some description. This makes the reader spend longer on the passage. Example:
"Give me the map," she demanded, holding out her hand.
"What map?" he asked, face a picture of perfect innocence.
"Don't play dumb with me," she said.
See how much slower this exchange feels now? We didn't add any new information and yet the beats have totally changed. Think of description as something that adds time. To demonstrate, consider this example:
"Don't play dumb with me. Hand it over."
He didn't answer right away. "Not until you give me the keys," he said finally.
How do we make the reader pause in a more natural and effective way? By adding description and tags. Example:
"Don't play dumb with me," she spat, voice dripping venom. "Hand it over."
He stared at her outstretched hand, palm empty. Somewhere in the distance, a coyote howled.
"Not until you give me the keys," he said with a sigh.
See? Without using a single time indicator, we showed a pause, by slowing down the reader and filling those beats with description. Remember that people visualize at the same speed they read. If you need to slow them down, make them read more words. For faster, more intense exchanges, skip all but necessary clarifying tags, as in the very first example.
Lastly, consider the rhythm of your passage. See this example:
"Give me the map," she spat, hand outstretched.
"What map?" he asked, shrugging.
"Don't play dumb with me," she said, narrowing her eyes.
This is repetitive. Avoid using the same pattern of tags and description two or more times in a row. You can fix this by reworking your passage to include more or different descriptions, but for a quick fix, try changing the tags into stand alone sentences and/or moving them before the dialogue. To fix the passage above, we might try this:
"Give me the map," she spat, hand outstretched.
He shrugged. "What map?"
"Don't play dumb with me," she said. Her eyes narrowed.
See how much more natural that is? And we changed nothing but the order and punctuation. Removing the repetition helps you avoid pulling the reader out of the story by reminding them that they're reading. A good dialogue passage should be remembered in your reader's minds as a movie scene.
i finally got around to getting the firefox youtube dislikes extension and i think this enhances my experience immensely
The Google Cultural Institute documents the world’s art and other cultural treasures. At the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, Google workers took a series of photos of these skulls (and over 200 others), and stitched the photos together so that you can view them at any angle.
EDIT: They moved the gallery to this link.
To people who are desperately asking for fundz/donations on tumblr.
USE THESE REDDIT SUBS INSTEAD PLEASE FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!!!!!!!
Hate Reddit if you want, but using these subs are your best chance. People gather in these subs because they have charity to spare:
/r/Assistance /r/legaladvice /r/RandomKindness /r/Charity /r/care /r/Random_Acts_Of_Pizza /r/Food_Pantry https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomActsOfPetFood/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RandomActsOfChristmas/ https://www.reddit.com/r/almosthomeless/ https://www.reddit.com/r/homeless
/r/freelance /r/povertyfinance /r/thrifty /r/borrow /r/gofundme
/r/depression /r/familysupport /r/transitions
I never see anyone actually getting any significant donations on tumblr and to be honest, tumblr is the worst place to ask for assistance. Use it as your last resort, it frustrates me to no end seeing people begging for help, reblogging the same post over and over, the same types of posts over and over, to no avail, when people are waiting to help you on a different part of the web GO TO WHERE THE HELP IS. IF YOU WANT DIRECT ACTION TO WORK STOP WITH TUMBLR AND USE REDDIT.
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF SATAN REBLOG THIS SO WE CAN START REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF DONATION POSTS THAT GET STUCK FLOATING AROUND THIS WEBSITE
emotional troubleshooting
checklist (start here):
are you: tired?
hungry?
dehydrated?
have you taken your meds?
have you had enough socialisation?
or enough alone time?
do you feel grimy/dirty/greasy/uncomfortable?
ideas for sensory comforting:
sitting in warm sunlight
walking bare foot on grass
sucking on a hard candy
chewing gum
listen to white noise
take a shower in the dark
lay under a heavy blanket(s)
important stuff: What you’re feeling is valid. If you can name it then you can get closer to controlling it. Is it a healthy feeling? Where’s it coming from/what triggered it? What can you do about the source to help the feeling pass or eliminate the issue?
A simple guide to picking a great color palette. No matter what the colors are, using colors that are certain distances from each other on the color wheel result in a great contrast of colors. The simple color schemes shown above are used in the most popular logos, posters, websites, paintings, and even movies and television.
=Tips for writers=
I used to be a really passionate writer and really enjoyed crafting language but it's been years since I've written anything that's not for school. I really want to start writing again but I don't have any story ideas that I'm excited about. What should I do to start writing again?
When you want to start writing again, but aren’t sure how to start:
1. Read a variety of books.
Various authors, various genres, the more you expand your examples the better because it means exposure to more ideas. Don’t be afraid to take up books you may not like since there’s a great deal of learning to be found in why you dislike something, and the depth it gets you thinking can help contribute to your own ideas. The “spite write” is also a thing, where you hate something, or some part of a thing, so much that you go off and do it yourself.
2. Engage with a writing community.
Every writer likes a different level of engagement, but writing communities can be extra helpful at providing idea discussion. It’s also okay if it takes a while for you to find the right one. Some writers are happy with the ones that are for pure fun and keep away from real critique whereas others want detailed critiques and a push to be better. The community you’re part of needs to align with your goals for writing.
3. Write what you know… so know interesting things.
Blatantly stolen from my own TbaBW post, but if you think your life is too boring for inspiration or you want to write about something but don’t know how, then get yourself out there and learn. Find new experiences, ask willing people about their lives, try new things even if you aren’t sure about them, research new subjects; increase your inspiration and well of knowledge so you can write what you know. You’re limited by your own knowledge and creativity, so work hard to make sure that limit does not exist.
4. Find prompts or guided writing exercises.
A lot of writers use prompts or guided exercises to get their writer's muscles moving. Aside from providing the base idea for you, they don’t require commitment and are just a form of practice, but can be turned into more polished stories if it really works out. The best use of these isn’t just reading them and deciding if you instantly like it or not, but taking some time to really think about how they can unfold.
5. Brainstorm.
While there are times when ideas just come to you, it’s common for creative people to have to brainstorm and put real effort into coming up with decent ideas. Brainstorming activities can look like, but aren’t limited to:
Inspiration from music. Some songs tell stories, some paint a scene, some capture a mood, and some are just good background music. Listening to music can be a good source of inspiration for writing.
Talk it out. Ask your friend and family what kind of stories they like to hear and why, or ask them anything about stories that you think will get them to talk. You may not want to write those exact things, but the dialogue can get some ideas thrown out there.
Inspiration from art. Similar to music, take a look at paintings, sketches, or maybe even dances that can provide something. Especially pay attention to the details and what the artist could potentially by trying to convey.
Ways to Develop Plot Ideas (link embedded) covers more idea generation!
6. Productivity can be worked on.
Most writers naturally go through a cycle of interest and disinterest in their projects or even writing in general. I have these linked posts for general info on increasing productivity:
Tips for Improving Writing Productivity, Pt 1
Tips for Improving Writing Productivity, Pt 2
Tips for Improving Writing Productivity, Pt 3
Tips for Improving Writing Productivity, Pt 4
You may also want to check out the Motivation and Discipline tag since there’s a lot of info related to productivity and getting back into writing, especially when you aren’t feeling so great about it.
7. Don’t be afraid of not being great.
It’s been a while since you’ve written and it’s normal for skills to get rusty. Your skills before may not even have been where you wanted to be, but all you can do is compare yourself to where you once were rather than other writers. Writing is personal journey and can be a tough skill to build, so don’t beat yourself up if you have trouble. You have to be bad at something before you’re good at it.
Good luck with your writing!
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Thinking of asking a question? Please read the Rules and Considerations to make sure I’m the right resource, and check the Tag List to see if your question has already been asked. If you can give back, please consider supporting me on Ko-fi or via Venmo Username: JustAWritingAid
Masterpost: How to write a story?
Compilation of writing advice for some aspects of the writing process.
How to motivate myself to write more
How to get rid of writer’s block
Basic Overview: How to write a story
How to outline a story
How to come up with plot
How to create a character
How to make a character unique
How to name your characters (Masterpost)
How to start a story
How to write a prologue
How to write conversation
How to write witty banter
How to write the last line
How to write a summary
How to write a book description
How to write romance
How to write friendships
How to write emotions (Masterpost)
How to write an argument
How to write yelling
How to write anger
How to write betrayal
How to title fanfiction
How to write an unreliable narrator
First Person vs. Third Person POV
How to write character deaths
How to use songs in a fanfiction
How to name fictional things
How to write self-insert fics
How to write multiple points of view
Introducing a group of characters
Large cast of characters interacting in one scene
How to write dual timelines
Redemption arc
Plot twists
Fatal Character Flaws
Good Traits Gone Bad (x)
Slow burn
Explanation posts about writing terms
What is…
AU ideas
Favourite tropes
Tropes of the day
List of Genres
Drabble vs. One-Shot
Advice for writing relationships
Masterpost: how to write relationships + romance
More specific scenarios
How to write a bilingual character
How to write a character with glasses
How to write heterochromia
How to create a villain
Reasons for becoming a villain
How to write a morally grey character
How to write an inferiority complex
How to write a road trip
How to create and write a cult
How to write amnesia
How to write being stabbed
How to write a stratocracy
How to write a heist
How to write the mafia
Criminal past comes to light
Ideas for traumatic experiences
How to create an atmosphere (Masterpost)
How to write a college party
How to write royalty (Masterpost)
Paramilitary Forces/ Militia
Superpowers Masterpost (Hero x Villain)
Inconvenient things a ghost could do
A Queen’s Assassination Plot
Crime Story - Detective’s POV
Evil organization of assassins
Evil wins in the end
Causes for the apocalypse
Last day on earth
Liminal Spaces
Workplace AUs
Signs of co-dependency
What to wear in a desert
If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰
How to draw: Not white characters
How to draw a Black person
How to colour Black people skin tones
How to draw dreadlocks
How to draw African hair
How to draw curly hair
How to draw braids
How to draw braids part 2
How to draw cornrows
How to draw Bantu knots
How to draw two strand twists
How to draw an Asian person
How to colour darker skin tones with alcohol markers
How to draw hijabs/traditional Muslim hair coverings
How to draw a hijabi girl
All links and art provided by @ itsajart on TikTok
Before you go “mY aRt sTyLe iS dIfFrEnT tHoUgH” you can moderate it and play around with your style to get it to fit.
things i wish i had known when i escaped my family household and couldn't ask my parents for help
invest in a good mattress early on. there are many other ends you can save on - sleep is not one of them. this is key to how much energy you'll have throughout the day
you don't need a bedframe but you do need a slatted bed base (even if it's just pallets)
opening a bank account is easy
there's youtube tutorials for everything. how to install your washing machine, how to use tools, fixing stuff around the place. channels like dad, how do i? are a godsend
change energy provider as soon as your old deal runs out. you'll get better offers elsewhere and avoid price gouging
assemble a basic first aid kid at home: painkillers, probiotics, alcohol wipes, bandages, tweezers, antihistamine tablets - anything you might need in a pinch
and an emergency toolkit: flashlight, extra batteries, a utility knife, an adjustable wrench, multi-tool, duct tape
set your fridge to the lowest temperature it can go. the energy consumption is minimal in difference and it'll give you +4/7 days on most foods
off-brand products are almost always the same in quality and taste, if not better, for half the price
coupons will save you a lot of money in the long run
there's no reason to be shy around employees at the bank/laundromat/store; most people will be happy to help
vegetarian diets are generally cheap if you make food from scratch
breakfast is as important as they say
keep track of your budget in a notebook or excel file - e.g. rent, phone and internet bills, food, leisure so you'll have an overlook on your spending over the months
don't gamble
piracy is okay
stealing from big stores and chains is also ethically okay
keep medical bills and pharmacy receipts for tax returns
also, file your tax returns early
take up a hobby that isn't in front of a screen. pottery, music, going for a run every now and then, stuff that'll keep you busy and sane
and most importantly... you're allowed to get the stuff you want. treat yourself to the occasional mundane thing. a good scented candle. a bath bomb. that body lotion that makes you feel like royalty. the good coffee beans.
you're free and you deserve to be happy.
tweet
Something like this would be so colossally helpful. I'm sick and tired of trying to research specific clothing from any given culture and being met with either racist stereotypical costumes worn by yt people or ai generated garbage nonsense, and trying to be hyper specific with searches yields fuck all. Like I generally just cannot trust the legitimacy of most search results at this point. It's extremely frustrating. If there are good resources for this then they're buried deep under all the other bullshit, and idk where to start looking.
Sims 4 page on Steam. Not to be controversial but I think the CEO of EA should be beheaded for this
If you live in the USA and you're pleading for donations to pay your rent, bills, or get food then dial 211! Please dial 211 before the last minute!
It's a toll free service with people who will help you find programs in your community to pay those bills, find food, and find housing! They will give you numbers to call so you can get help.
It is not 100% foolproof. Their job is to direct you to a program they believe will help your current issue, but it's still a step up from praying random strangers online will give you enough cash before a deadline! The added benefit of these community programs, which get funded by the local government most of the time, is if there are more people using them then they can get more money to help more people.
You're not taking resources from other people if you use your community services. Your taxes pay for them. Use them.
Dial 211 first to see if they can help, and if for some reason they can't, then make your donation posts!
https://www.211.org/
Want to learn something new in 2022??
Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)
40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)
Excellent basic crochet video series
Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)
Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)
How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)
Another drawing character faces video
Literally my favorite art pose hack
Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??
Introduction to flying small aircrafts
French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding
Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)
Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)
Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)
Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:
Calculus 1 (full semester class)
Learn basic statistics (free textbook)
Introduction to college physics (free textbook)
Introduction to accounting (free textbook)
Learn a language:
Ancient Greek
Latin
Spanish
German
Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)
French
Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)
hot artists don't gatekeep
I've been resource gathering for YEARS so now I am going to share my dragons hoard
Floorplanner. Design and furnish a house for you to use for having a consistent background in your comic or anything! Free, you need an account, easy to use, and you can save multiple houses.
Comparing Heights. Input the heights of characters to see what the different is between them. Great for keeping consistency. Free.
Magma. Draw online with friends in real time. Great for practice or hanging out. Free, paid plan available, account preferred.
Smithsonian Open Access. Loads of free images. Free.
SketchDaily. Lots of pose references, massive library, is set on a timer so you can practice quick figure drawing. Free.
SculptGL. A sculpting tool which I am yet to master, but you should be able to make whatever 3d object you like with it. free.
Pexels. Free stock images. And the search engine is actually pretty good at pulling up what you want.
Figurosity. Great pose references, diverse body types, lots of "how to draw" videos directly on the site, the models are 3d and you can rotate the angle, but you can't make custom poses or edit body proportions. Free, account option, paid plans available.
Line of Action. More drawing references, this one also has a focus on expressions, hands/feet, animals, landscapes. Free.
Animal Photo. You pose a 3d skull model and select an animal species, and they give you a bunch of photo references for that animal at that angle. Super handy. Free.
Height Weight Chart. You ever see an OC listed as having a certain weight but then they look Wildly different than the number suggests? Well here's a site to avoid that! It shows real people at different weights and heights to give you a better idea of what these abstract numbers all look like. Free to use.
FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT TRUMP DID NOT SAVE TIKTOK!! THIS WAS ALL A STUNT TO MAKE HIM LOOK GOOD!!
PAY ATTENTION TO WHATEVER HAPPENS NEXT!!
art tips post
for all the artist following me
Have two sketchbooks: One for finished and high-quality art (stuff made with Prismacolor or Copic if you use that or art for your portfolio) and the other sketchbook for more messy doodles. This way you have a place to try new things and mess up as much as you need. When I only had one sketchbook I was scared to draw in it because I didn't want to mess it up
Do studies. I cant tell you how much I've improved just by doing studies of shoes, hands, noses, and all that. This works for when you have art block too since you’re not really making stuff up and just learning how real things work.
Learn from others. I’ve never taken a real art class because 1. I can’t afford it and 2. there’s no good art classes/programs at my school. I’ve been following several artists and learning from them over the years and they’ve helped me tremendously. Just please do not steal art because that is never okay.
Break down concepts. If you notice there’s something wrong with your piece then figure out why. You can’t get better if you leave mistakes and don't try to understand whats going on. If the color is weird figure out if the values look right or maybe its the saturation of the color.
Watch youtube tutorials. Here are some youtubers I think are pretty good art teaching all things art: Draw with Jazza | DrawingWiffWaffles | Proko | Baylee Jae
Have an inspiration folder/blog. Sometimes you just need a collection of starry nights or a misty forest or even a French bakery. All of those things can help you get inspired to draw. It could even be completely unrelated to what you plan to draw.
There are no dumb ideas in the creative process. If you want to draw a lizard in a dress go for it! If you want to draw various pastries with faces do it! Don’t let the thought of it being too dumb stop you because if I’ve learned anything in my several years of drawing it’s that an idea can lead to another and another and another and you may get a really good idea just from doodling dumb things.
Here’s a few things that can get you started on drawing better:
Dynamic poses | Dynamic clothes | Dynamic figure drawing
COMPOSITION | PERSPECTIVE | CONSTRUCTION
Anatomy:
Legs
Arms
Hands
Heads
Body (Female) (Male
Color Theory
Improving your sketchbook
Most importantly, don’t give up! You may not immediately get notes or followers but it’s more important you get better than to have popularity. How do you think those popular artists got to where they are now? To be good you’ve got to work at it.
So you know when you're writing a scene where the hero is carrying an injured person and you realize you've never been in this situation and have no idea how accurate the method of transportation actually is?
Oh boy, do I have a valuable resource for you!
Here is a PDF of the best ways to carry people depending on the situation and how conscious the injured person needs to be for the carrying position.
Literally a life saver.
(No pun intended.)