Latest Posts by groovyblueworld - Page 8

Woah. Timothy Zahn, are you me?

I often hear the argument that having major characters die is more realistic than having them always come through unscathed. Of course it is. But I personally don’t want my fiction to necessarily be “realistic” – I want my fiction to be entertaining. For me, that means watching engaging characters I care about get into and out of dangerous predicaments, working and thinking together in order to defeat the bad guys. While some authors (and readers) like the tension of wondering who will live and who will die, I prefer the tension of seeing how the heroes are going to think or work their ways out of each difficult or impossible situation they find themselves in. If I want realism and the deaths of people I care about, I can turn on the news.

–Timothy Zahn, interviewed by TheForce.Net, 2008

How to Plot a Complex Novel in One Day

Now first, I have to say, that the plot you’re able to come up with in one day is not going to be without its flaws, but coming up with it all at once, the entire story unfolds right in front of you and makes you want to keep going with it. So, where to begin?

What is your premise and basic plot? Pick your plot. I recommend just pulling one from this list. No plots are “original” so making yours interesting and complicated will easily distract from that fact, that and interesting characters. Characters will be something for you to work on another day, because this is plotting day. You’ll want the main plot to be fairly straight forward, because a confusing main plot will doom you if you want subplots.

Decide who the characters will be. They don’t have to have names at this point. You don’t even need to know who they are other than why they have to be in the story. The more characters there are the more complicated the plot will be. If you intend to have more than one subplot, then you’ll want more characters. Multiple interconnected subplots will give the illusion that the story is very complicated and will give the reader a lot of different things to look at at all times. It also gives you the chance to develop many side characters. The plot I worked out yesterday had 13 characters, all were necessary. Decide their “roles” don’t bother with much else. This seems shallow, but this is plot. Plot is shallow.

Now, decide what drives each character. Why specifically are they in this story? You can make this up. You don’t even know these characters yet. Just so long as everyone has their own motivations, you’re in the clear.

What aren’t these characters giving away right off the bat? Give them a secret! It doesn’t have to be something that they are actively lying about or trying to hide, just find something that perhaps ties them into the plot or subplot. This is a moment to dig into subplot. This does not need to be at all connected to their drive to be present in the story.  Decide who is in love with who, what did this person do in the 70’s that’s coming back to bite them today, and what continues to haunt what-his-face to this very day. This is where you start to see the characters take shape. Don’t worry much about who they are or what they look like, just focus on what they’re doing to the story.

What is going to change these characters? Now this will take some thinking. Everyone wants at least a few of the characters to come out changed by the end of the story, so think, how will they be different as a result of the plot/subplot? It might not be plot that changes them, but if you have a lot of characters, a few changes that are worked into the bones of the plot might help you.

Now list out the major events of the novel with subplot in chronological order. This will be your timeline. Especially list the historical things that you want to exist in backstory. List everything you can think of. Think about where the story is going. At this point, you likely haven’t focused too much on the main plot, yeah, it’s there, but now really focus on the rising actions, how this main plot builds its conflict, then the climactic moment. Make sure you get all of that in there. This might take a few hours.

Decide where to start writing. This part will take a LOT of thinking. It’s hard! But now that you’ve got the timeline, pick an interesting point to begin at. Something with action. Something relevant. Preferably not at the beginning of your timeline - you want to have huge reveals later on where these important things that happened prior are exposed. This is the point where you think about what information should come out when. This will be a revision of your last list, except instead of being chronological, it exists to build tension.

Once you’ve gotten the second list done, you’ve got a plot. Does it need work? Probably. But with that said, at this point you probably have no idea who half your characters are. Save that for tomorrow, that too will be a lot of work.

Disclaimer for this post.

Resources For Writing Sketchy Topics

Medicine

A Study In Physical Injury

Comas

Medical Facts And Tips For Your Writing Needs

Broken Bones

Burns

Unconsciousness & Head Trauma

Blood Loss

Stab Wounds

Pain & Shock

All About Mechanical Injuries (Injuries Caused By Violence)

Writing Specific Characters

Portraying a kleptomaniac.

Playing a character with cancer.

How to portray a power driven character.

Playing the manipulative character.

Portraying a character with borderline personality disorder.

Playing a character with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Writing a character who lost someone important.

Playing the bullies.

Portraying the drug dealer.

Playing a rebellious character.

How to portray a sociopath.

How to write characters with PTSD.

Playing characters with memory loss.

Playing a pyromaniac.

How to write a mute character.

How to write a character with an OCD.

How to play a stoner.

Playing a character with an eating disorder.

Portraying a character who is anti-social.

Portraying a character who is depressed.

How to portray someone with dyslexia.

How to portray a character with bipolar disorder.

Portraying a character with severe depression.

How to play a serial killer.

Writing insane characters.

Playing a character under the influence of marijuana.

Tips on writing a drug addict.

How to write a character with HPD.

Writing a character with Nymphomania.

Writing a character with schizophrenia.

Writing a character with Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Writing a character with depression.

Writing a character who suffers from night terrors.

Writing a character with paranoid personality disorder.

How to play a victim of rape.

How to play a mentally ill/insane character.

Writing a character who self-harms.

Writing a character who is high on amphetamines.

How to play the stalker.

How to portray a character high on cocaine.

Playing a character with ADHD.

How to play a sexual assault victim.

Writing a compulsive gambler.

Playing a character who is faking a disorder.

Playing a prisoner.

Portraying an emotionally detached character.

How to play a character with social anxiety.

Portraying a character who is high.

Portraying characters who have secrets.

Portraying a recovering alcoholic.

Portraying a sex addict.

How to play someone creepy.

Portraying sexually/emotionally abused characters.

Playing a character under the influence of drugs.

Playing a character who struggles with Bulimia.

Illegal Activity

Examining Mob Mentality

How Street Gangs Work

Domestic Abuse

Torture

Assault

Murder

Terrorism

Internet Fraud

Cyberwarfare

Computer Viruses

Corporate Crime

Political Corruption

Drug Trafficking

Human Trafficking

Sex Trafficking

Illegal Immigration

Contemporary Slavery 

Black Market Prices & Profits

AK-47 prices on the black market

Bribes

Computer Hackers and Online Fraud

Contract Killing

Exotic Animals

Fake Diplomas

Fake ID Cards, Passports and Other Identity Documents

Human Smuggling Fees

Human Traffickers Prices

Kidney and Organ Trafficking Prices

Prostitution Prices

Cocaine Prices

Ecstasy Pills Prices

Heroin Prices

Marijuana Prices

Meth Prices

Earnings From Illegal Jobs

Countries In Order Of Largest To Smallest Risk

Forensics

arson

Asphyxia

Blood Analysis

Book Review

Cause & Manner of Death

Chemistry/Physics

Computers/Cell Phones/Electronics

Cool & Odd-Mostly Odd

Corpse Identification

Corpse Location

Crime and Science Radio

crime lab

Crime Scene

Cults and Religions

DNA

Document Examination

Fingerprints/Patterned Evidence

Firearms Analysis

Forensic Anthropology

Forensic Art

Forensic Dentistry

Forensic History

Forensic Psychiatry

General Forensics

Guest Blogger

High Tech Forensics

Interesting Cases

Interesting Places

Interviews

Medical History

Medical Issues

Misc

Multiple Murderers

On This Day

Poisons & Drugs

Police Procedure

Q&A

serial killers

Space Program

Stupid Criminals

Theft

Time of Death

Toxicology

Trauma

Photos That look Like Renaissance Paintings

Black Cats are particularly at risk prior to and during Halloween. Please make sure you keep yours safe this holiday.  Think ahead, and secure your pet early.

writers

Please remember that adverbs are not evil. The advice to avoid them is made in an effort to inspire improvement when showing action.

Please remember that is/was/are/to be/has been are not evil. Sometimes stating things as plainly as possible is the point.

Please remember that telling instead of showing is not evil. There are concepts best left told rather than shown.

And lastly, please remember, writing doesn’t have to be for anyone but yourself.

The opposite of grimdark is hopepunk. Pass it on.

Fight training behind the scenes with Gwendoline Christie and Maisie Williams.

( x )

Traditional Chinese hanfu for archery by 重回汉唐

here are all the playlists that were requested:

smoking weed with fairy royalty

you’re sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool lit by neon lights, but instead of water the pool is filled with peach soda

you’re an alien visiting your human boyfriend on earth and you’re entering the earth’s atmosphere but you’ve done it like thirty times so you’re just chilling

everything is endless cornfields and stormy skies and the end of the world is coming so the radio’s playing apocalyptic tunes

you’re sitting outside dairy queen at 2am w cherry topped sundaes and you’re wearing your best friend’s faux fur jacket

you’re at 7/11 at night minding your own business but when you go to leave you realize the door won’t open and all the power goes out except for the slushie machine so now you’re just chilling on the floor in a 7/11 in the blue light & hum of a slushie machine

a tiny dancer living in a dusty music box

you’re really tired and it’s late and you feel numb but you’re laughing at memes and feeling intense love for your friends

when you’re in the woods alone and you’re following a tunnel to a house, you hear a sound behind you and when you look around you realize this tunnel doesn’t have a start or an end, and it never did

The Dyeing of Theodore (DIM Happy Ace)

Yesterday I decided to buckle down and finally dye my boy tan. Even though I had dyed a doll before, I was very, very nervous, since previously I used Jacquard iDyePoly and for Theo I was determined to use RIT Dyemore. I had read that RIT Dyemore tans can come off grey—even purple—if the dye bath does not reach a certain temperature, so I waited until my water was at a rolling boil then submerged each piece for three (3) minutes. A beautiful, even tan resulted with little-to-no marbling! I’m really pleased as punch. ^^

My phone’s camera doesn’t want to pick up the dye’s true color, sadly. There is a slight copper undertone to RIT Dyemore “Sandstone” but in-person my Theo looks closer to a cross between LUTS RSB and the old Dream of Doll tan, if anyone knows the shade I’m talking about. I do want to point out two things for those folks out there hoping to dye Doll in Mind resin. First and foremost, DiM resin takes synthetic dye PERFECTLY. It absorbs color evenly and doesn’t streak as long as you keep your water super hot. (And I mean SUPER.) DiM also sands seams, so there will be some lines along the sides of the legs, etc. that absorb the dye differently. Not very noticeable, though, IMO.

But… DiM also uses some sort of glue around the wrist and ankle s-hooks that is impermeable to dye. I received a defective hand with this substance near the knuckles (that I used as a test piece since DiM was kind enough to send me a replacement), and no matter what I did, a patch of NS remained beneath it. Unfortunately, my boy’s other hand had a bit of this on his forefinger that I did not notice during my communication with DiM (thus, no replacement), so there is a small splotch there, as well. Had I seen it before dyeing, I would’ve tried sanding, even though that also would have resulted in uneven coverage.

I figure I’ll just cover his finger with a nude, doll-sized bandage. Theo apparently gets a lot of paper cuts while working late nights at the bureau, LOL. Who knew? Anyway, I hope sharing my experience helps someone! I’ll post another batch of photos once I’ve restrung him. I’m giving the resin 48 hours to cure since it was exposed to extreme heat (I don’t want to end up with any scratches or breaks).

ALSO! After trying both, I prefer RIT Dyemore to Jacquard iDyePoly. Both achieve bold colors, but RIT’s liquid format >>> Jacquard’s powder. I’m itching to dye another doll on my wishlist now. Maybe a Little Monica or a BlueFairy.

What do you folks think? Thank you all for reading! —Mint

Hi! I see in your posts that there are names for the different types of hanfu...but i cannot tell the difference...would you be able to make a post on what the different types of hanfu are? If its too complicated thats ok!

Hi, thanks for the question! I covered the basic types of men’s hanfu here and here, so in this post I’ll describe the basic types of women’s hanfu. Resources on identifying different types of hanfu can be found in my reference tag.

- Ruqun/襦裙 - the most basic type of hanfu consisting of a top and a wrap-around skirt. The top is called “ru/襦” and the skirt is called “qun/ 裙”, hence “ruqun”. Sleeves can be narrow or wide. Generally speaking, people divide ruqun into two types based on the height of the skirt: “Qiyao Ruqun/ 齐腰襦裙” (waist-high ruqun) and “Qixiong Ruqun/ 齐胸襦裙” (chest-high ruqun).

“Qiyao Ruqun” is the kind of ruqun in which the waistband is on the waist. Both men and women can wear it. For women, the top’s collar can be parallel (left), crossed (middle), or u-shaped (right). Men’s ruqun are cross-collared only.

“Qixiong Ruqun”, on the other hand, has its waistband above the chest. The top’s collar can be parallel (left) or crossed (right). It’s only worn by women.

As seen in the photos above, ruqun is often accessorized with a long scarf called Pibo/披帛. Originally used to protect against wind and cold air, pibo gradually became an important feature of hanfu.

- Aoqun/袄裙 - a type of ruqun that became fashionable during the Ming Dynasty. It consists of a double-layered top called “ao/袄“ and a waist-high skirt (”qun”), hence “aoqun”. Unlike the “standard” ruqun that has the top tucked inside the skirt, the aoqun’s top is worn untucked, above the skirt. There are two types of “ao” - “short ao” and “long ao”. The “short ao” (left, right) reaches the waist, while the “long ao” (middle) covers the knees. Ao collars can be crossed (left, middle) or upright (right). Only worn by women.

- Unlike ruqun and aoqun which are made of separate top and bottom pieces, the Shenyi/深衣 style of hanfu consists of one-piece robes that wrap around the body once or several times. Quju/曲裾 (curved-hem robe) and Zhiju/直裾(straight-hem robe) are two types of shenyi. The quju (left, middle) is a robe in which the bottom hem of the left lapel spirals its way up to the waist of the wearer. Modern quju can come in a shortened version (middle) that reveals the skirt worn underneath. In contrast to the quju, the bottom hem of the zhiju (right) circles around levelly, creating a straight line. Quju and Zhiju are worn by both men and women.

- Beizi/褙子 - a parallel-collar “jacket” with side slits beginning at the armpit or at the waist. It can be secured at the front either with ties or a metal button. Extremely versatile, it can be long or short, have narrow or wide sleeves, and is worn by both men and women. During the Song Dynasty, it was popular to wear narrow-sleeved beizi over a chest undergarment and skirt/pants (middle). Another name for Ming Dynasty-style beizi is Pifeng/披风 (right). Pifeng collars can also be upright (not shown).

- Banbi/半臂 - a half-sleeve jacket worn by both men and women. It comes in various lengths and is usually worn over ruqun. Its collar can be parallel (left), crossed (middle), or u-shaped (right). When paired with ruqun, it can be worn tucked inside the skirt as well as over the skirt (untucked).

- Bijia/比甲 - a sleeveless jacket, usually worn over aoqun, that comes in various lengths and styles.

- Daxiushan/大袖衫 - large-sleeve robe commonly paired with ruqun. As its name indicates, its main feature is its broad sleeves. The length is at least 78 inches, and the width exceeds 40 inches. The material is generally thin and light, because it was originally created for wear in the summer.

Of course this doesn’t cover everything, but it describes the basic hanfu styles that appear most often on this blog. Hope this helps!

Podcast rec list

My old podcast rec/request list is still getting notes so I figured I’d make a new list with everything I’ve downloaded since then. Favourites are italicized*.

For updates, please check @insomniac-podcaster.

Audio drama (Fantasy)

Alba Salix, Royal Physician* - Follows trials and tribulations of Farloria’s head witch of the House of Healing, Alba Salix. It is a 6-part mini-series (+ bonuses) with no future episodes currently planned.

The Behemoth -  15-year-old Madyson tells the story of the Behemoth, a large, lumbering beast that has emerged from the waters off of Cape Cod. It will be a 20-part mini-series.

Hello From the Magic Tavern - An improv comedy podcast hosted by Arnie, a man who accidentally passed through a portal into the land of “Foon”. Every week Arnie interviews patrons of the Vermilion Minotaur tavern including monsters, wizard, and adventurers.

Audio drama (Horror)

Alice Isn’t Dead* - A truck driver searches across America for the wife she had long assumed was dead, encountering not-quite-human serial murderers, towns literally lost in time, and a conspiracy that goes way beyond one missing woman along the way. This podcast is produced by the same people who brought you Welcome to Night Vale.

Archive 81 - These are the recovered tapes of missing archivist Daniel Powell, posted by a well-meaning friend hoping to locate him.

Help Me - Nicole investigates the mysterious death of her friend Olivia and possible link to a dangerous entity. It is a 15-part mini-series with no future episodes currently planned.

Limetown* - Radio host Lia Haddock investigates the sudden disappearance of the residents of Limetown. It is a 7-part mini-series (+ bonuses) with future seasons (and possibly a TV show) in the works.

Return Home - Jonathan Baker returns to his home town after being contacted by a mysterious entity. Episodes are broken up into multiple parts aired every week, with breaks between episodes.

Audio drama (Pseudo-radio show)

The Black Tapes* - (horror) A weekly radio show hosted by Alex Reagan that investigates unsolved paranormal phenomenon documented by the Strand Institute. They also produce TANIS.

The Message* - (sci-fi) Nicky Tomalin documents the work of a team of cryptologists as the attempt to decipher an alien message. It is an 8-part mini-series.

Good Morning Zakera Ward - (sci-fi, Mass Effect) A morning radio show set in the Mass Effect universe. It is an 11-part series that appears to have ended abruptly, but is still worth a listen if you’re a fan of the games.

King Falls AM - (sci-fi/fantasy) A late-night talk show from quaint town of King Falls that is frequently interrupted by peculiar happenings and paranormal events.

TANIS - (horror) A docu-drama series hosted by Nic Silver exploring the myth and conspiracy of Tanis. They also produce The Black Tapes.

Welcome to Night Vale - (cosmic horror)  Community radio updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events.

Audio drama (Sci-Fi)

ars PARADOXICA* - A journey through spacetime and the Cold War with Dr. Sally Grissom, a physicist send back in time when an experiment goes awry.

The Bright Sessions* - The recorded therapy sessions of Dr. Bright, who provides support for patients with unusual talents. ((It’s more of a paranormal drama that a true sci-fi)).

The Bunker - A breakfast radio show broadcast back in time to us from the post-apocalyptic year 2414. It’s a 12-part mini-series, and the developers are currently working on another sci-fi series that will be titled Mars Corp.

EOS 10* - The adventures of two maladjusted doctors, their medical team, and a hypochondriac ex-prince aboard an intergalactic travel hub.

Kakos Industries - Corporate announcements for Kakos Industries, a corporation dedicated to helping you ‘do evil better’.

Liberty - Tales from Atrius, a colony cut off from humanity and racked by civil war, and the surrounding lawless expanse known as the Fringe. It consists of multiple mini-series.

Sayer - Acclimate to life on Earth’s man-made second moon, Typhon, with the assistance of the self-aware AI SAYER.

Thrilling Adventure Hour - A podcast in the style of an old-timey radio show consisting of the regular sub-series ‘Sparks Nevada: Marshall on Mars’ and ‘Beyond Belief’ as well as other segments.

Wolf 359*** - Follows the crew of the U.S.S. Hephaestus Research Station as they orbit around the red dwarf Wolf 359. This is my all-time favourite series - you should be downloading it right now… unless you’ve already heard it in which case you should definitely treat yourself and listen to it again.

Informational

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History - As the title implies, this is really hardcore history. Episodes are exceedingly well-researched and is surprisingly easy to listen to considering the density of the subject matter.

Lore - A podcast examining myths and folktales alongside the true dark stories that either inspired or arose from them. A chilling listen that also has a TV show in the works.

Myths and Legends - Re-tellings of both popular and obscure legends that make them very accessible to a modern audience (i.e. people like me who DON’T read Beowulf in it’s original Old English for fun in their free time).

Sleep With Me* - Honestly, I have no idea what this podcast is actually about because Ackerman’s ramblings are so soothing I’m usually asleep shortly after turning it on. If you have insomnia and problems falling asleep to silence (like myself), this is a must-download - it’s more engaging that rain/wave/whale noises but you don’t have to worry about missing anything.

Literature

Escape Pod - Every episode consists of a sci-fi short story from a variety of sub-genres, and they are generally 30-60 minutes in length. If you enjoy Escape Pod, also check out their fantasy (PodCastle) and horror (PseudoPod) podcasts.

The NoSleep Podcast - Narrations of short horror stories posted to the NoSleep reddit board. It’s featured horror stories for every squick and trigger imaginable so be careful with this one if you aren’t into hardcore horror, and definitely heed the warnings at the beginnings of episodes.

True Crime

Serial - I don’t think it’s possible to be a podcast fan and not have (at the very least) heard about Serial. If you haven’t listened to it yet, definitely give it a go - there’s a reason it was at the top of the (Canadian) iTunes store for close to a year. It’s produced by ‘This American Life’, which is another professionally-produced podcast worthy of downloading.

Someone Knows Something - A series produced by CBC that examines unsolved cases of missing or murdered individuals.

Thin Air Podcast - Two English majors investigate cold cases by examining evidence and interviewing people involved with the original investigation.

Pending - I either haven’t started these or haven’t listened to enough to categorize them, but most have been rec’d by multiple sources so check them out!

A New Winter - A first-hand account of the unsolved murders and disappearances of 25 people in a small UK village.

The Cleansed: A Post-Apocalyptic Saga - (audio drama - sci-fi) An epic post-apocalyptic saga set in a world ravaged by fossil fuel scarcity.

Greater Boston - An audio drama set in Boston that blends the real and the unreal, the historical and the fantastical.

Hadron Gospel Hour - (audio drama - sci-fi)A sci-fi comedy/adventure following a duo of scientists stranded ouside of spacetime in the Hadron Bunker.

Jim Robbie and the Wanderers - (audio drama - sci-fi) Follows two female musicians travelling surreal America with their robot companion, Jim Robbie.

Monster Talk - (informational) Examines the science behind cryptozoological and legendary monsters. 

The Night Blogger - (audio drama - paranormal) It appears to follow blogger Brian Foster’s encounters with the paranormal.

Our Fair City - (audio drama - sci-fi) A campy (their words), post-apocalyptic audio drama.

Pete’s Paranormal Chronicles -  (audio drama) In 1996, Pete Schwartz began work on a documentary series called Pete’s Paranormal Chronicles, but his sanity began to unravel during the production of the program and he became completely immersed in a nationwide conspiracy.

The Twilight World of Ultimate Smoothness - A podcast chronicling the decline and fall of radio veteran Greg Willis. It is a 6-part mini-series.

Ruby: The Adventures of a Galactic Gumshoe -  (audio drama) Ruby is a hip, tough-talking detective hired to track down the malefactors who are manipulating the media on the planet Summa Nulla (the “high point of nothing”).

Unexplained - (informational) A podcast about strange and mysterious real-life events that continue to evade explanation.

As always, if there’s a podcast you like that’s missing from this list, please drop me a line (message, ask, fan mail, raven, etc. etc.) and I’ll check it out! I’ll also be adding a podcast link to my blog featuring this list with updates. Enjoy~

Resources for writers

- Use real estate and floor plan sites to describe houses, apartments and offices. (example)

- Use The Sims speed built videos to describe houses, apartments and shops (example).

- Use street walking or driving videos to describe the feeling of cities and towns (my city)

- Use old recordings to describe the feeling of past decades (my city in the 70’s) 

- Use day in my life videos to describe the routine of an occupation (example)

- Use speed painting videos to find inspiration for fictional worlds (favorite)

- Use The Sims resource sites to describe furniture, clothing, hairstyle (my favorite)

- Use The Sims gallery for character inspiration (here)

- Use perfume sites to choose scents (my favorite).

- Use closing credits of movies, games and TV shows to find names and surnames for characters (example)

- Inspiration for book cover: http://bookcoverarchive.com/

- Inspiration for story ideas: http://www.flickriver.com/

Creating Conflict

Or, as I call it, causing ~drama~

The key that keeps readers interested in your story is conflict. If nothing is at stake, then there is not much to see. So, here are a few general tips to cause some ripples in the ponds of your characters’ lives.

“Prioritizing”: Your character has two main motives that they have been working towards, but they end up in a situation where they have to sacrifice one to save the other. Depending on how easy or hard the choice is, this range from “disappointing” to “devastating” in the sacrifice. 

Character Flaws: As I talked about in my cornerstones post, every character should have a flaw. Flaws are flaws and not strengths for a reason- they get in the way. Have your character have a moment of weakness, where they lose their values and give in to temptation or get carried away.

 In addition: Even without their key flaws, characters can sometimes just… be wrong. Maybe they miscalculated. Maybe they misunderstood. Maybe they made the wrong guess. They did what everyone does: They Done Messed Up, and now they have to deal with the result.

Liar, Liar: Someone is lying, or even keeping secrets, and now, it’s causing problems. They can’t go forward without the truth, or worse, they are making mistakes due to a warped perception of the situation.

Draw backs: Let the good things come at a cost. One key rule for worlds with magic or superpowers is that all power should come at cost- equal to or greater than the power itself. 

“Because I Said So”: Don’t forget, there are other characters in your story, and even if they are on the protagonist’s own side, they are not always going to just merrily go along with whatever the protagonist said. Maybe they disagree. Maybe they are powerful enough to get in the protagonist’s way, and maybe it’s that important to them that they try. If fighting an enemy is hard, fighting a friend is harder.

Take It Back: Your character makes a decision that seems right at the time. Maybe it was the obvious choice, or maybe it was taking a risk. But uh-oh…now there are unforeseen consequences. 

Or, the opposite…

Decisions, Decisions: Maybe your character has to make a decision where there is not an immediately obvious choice. Make sure that both/all the options have both positive and negative possible or certain outcomes. There is no obvious right or wrong choice. Bonus, it’s funny to watch the fandom debate it later. 

Strip Them Down: Remove your character’s greatest strength. For whatever reason, your character’s most valuable asset is not available, and now, they have to live without it. Bonus mode- it would be really, really helpful if they had it right now!

Or, do the opposite…

Boss Fight: Maybe, instead of your protagonist getting weaker, it’s your antagonist that gets stronger. Strengthen the opposition and see if your characters can adapt to survive, or if they lack what it takes. 

Change of Plan: The rules of the game have changed. This can mean different things depending on your story. They could be literal rules, or more general. Think Hunger Games- did I say two tributes? I meant one, after all. Fight to the death now, please.

Amplify the Emotions: … And the results that come with. People do crazy things in the heat of the moment. You can’t think straight when all you can do is feel. Blinded by anger, sadness, or even joy, your character makes a bad choice. 

*Pile It On: You know what a full plate needs? Even more stuff. Your character is already juggling, trying to balance a variety of responsibilities. So add one more ball. Do they crash and burn immediately? Does it take a while? Do they succeed?  Any which way, the stress is high.

*Note: this one can be difficult on the author, too. Make sure that with all these plot lines, you’re not losing track, yourself.

“Murphy’s Law”: Simply stated, this is a plot tool that says, “whatever can go wrong, will.” I’m just going to say right away… be careful with this one. It’s really frustrating for your audience to watch the characters fail or lose or face misfortune over and over and over again. It makes it feel like nothing will ever come out of rooting for them, so you may as well give up now. Murphy’s Law can be great in the proper proportions, please, let your characters have some victories, or there’s no point to it.

And hey, don’t forget about your inner conflicts. You never know when those are going to have the opportunity to cause trouble. 

Give ‘em hell, kids!*

***disclaimer: you do not have to be a kid to give them hell.

~Penemue

Sunny Side Up

Seed Arts Smol Birb Giveaway

Blue Skies and Sunny Side Up are looking for homes.  Maybe yours!

Rules:

You do NOT have to be following me. 

You may reblog up to 3 times (no more than once per day), for one birb or the other. Likes don’t count.

When you reblog, please keep the entirety of the contest text and then write which bird you’re entering for. If you don’t say which one you want, you can’t win it!

You need to either be 18, or you need to clear it with your parents before you send me your address to ship. If you win, they’re welcome to email me directly if they wish.

Make sure that you have asks or messaging enabled on Halloween.  I will give you three days to reply to my notification that you’ve won, then I pick someone else. 

Winners will be chosen at random on Halloween (2016).  Birbs will be shipped at my convenience, most likely via airmail.  (Yes, this is open internationally.)

Good luck! :D

Sunny Side Up :3

Seed Arts Smol Birb Giveaway

Blue Skies and Sunny Side Up are looking for homes.  Maybe yours!

Rules:

You do NOT have to be following me. 

You may reblog up to 3 times (no more than once per day), for one birb or the other. Likes don’t count.

When you reblog, please keep the entirety of the contest text and then write which bird you’re entering for. If you don’t say which one you want, you can’t win it!

You need to either be 18, or you need to clear it with your parents before you send me your address to ship. If you win, they’re welcome to email me directly if they wish.

Make sure that you have asks or messaging enabled on Halloween.  I will give you three days to reply to my notification that you’ve won, then I pick someone else. 

Winners will be chosen at random on Halloween (2016).  Birbs will be shipped at my convenience, most likely via airmail.  (Yes, this is open internationally.)

Good luck! :D

Sunny Side Up :)

Seed Arts Smol Birb Giveaway

Blue Skies and Sunny Side Up are looking for homes.  Maybe yours!

Rules:

You do NOT have to be following me. 

You may reblog up to 3 times (no more than once per day), for one birb or the other. Likes don’t count.

When you reblog, please keep the entirety of the contest text and then write which bird you’re entering for. If you don’t say which one you want, you can’t win it!

You need to either be 18, or you need to clear it with your parents before you send me your address to ship. If you win, they’re welcome to email me directly if they wish.

Make sure that you have asks or messaging enabled on Halloween.  I will give you three days to reply to my notification that you’ve won, then I pick someone else. 

Winners will be chosen at random on Halloween (2016).  Birbs will be shipped at my convenience, most likely via airmail.  (Yes, this is open internationally.)

Good luck! :D

Food Survey

1.     How do you feel about golden oreos?

2.     What is your favorite dessert topping?

3.     What is your favorite flavor/brand of bubble gum?

4.     Favorite cheese?

5.     Favorite Lunch Meat?

6.     Favorite ice cream flavor?

7.     Best looking food?

8.     Best food to put cheese on?

9.     Best sexual food?

10.   Best tasting drink in the summer?

11.   Best tasting drink in winter?

12.   Best food for a night out with friends?

13.   Best foods to eat with a roll?

14.   Messiest food, in your opinion?

15.   Easist food to prepare?

16.   Cheapest food you ever ate?

17.   Most expensive food you ever ate?

18.   Stinkiest food you ever ate?

19.   Favorite dipping sauce?

20.   Best pizza topping?

21.   Favorite potato chip flavor?

22.   Most toxic substance you ever ate?

23.   Most calories you ate in one meal?

24.   Favorite soda?

25.   Favorite flavor of juice?

26.   Favorite Vegetable?

27.   Favorite fruit?

28.   Worst canned food?

29.   Best side dish?

30.   Worst fast food restuarant?

31.   Best restaurant?

32.   Best smelling food?

33.   Favorite appetizer?

34.   Favorite cookie flavor?

35.   Favorite cake flavor?

36.   Favorite pie flavor?

37.   Chocolate or rainbow sprinkles?

38.   Ketchup or Mustard?

39.   Best food to have on a date?

40.   Most share-able food?

Test

Just a test post to check this thing out.