HIRAETH

she/her | french | fandom stuff | often tries to write, mostly fails

[bloodybrahms]

the monsters of hellboy ii, guillermo del toro // wintersong, s. jae-jones // larry fessenden // wicked saints, emily a. duncan // monster movie, nicola maye goldberg // c. joybell c. // frankenstein, mary shelley // fortesa latifi // crimson peak, dir. guillermo del toro // start here, caitlyn siehl

[lifeinpoetry]

You have my permission not to love me. I am a cathedral of dead bolts & I’d rather burn myself down than change the locks.

— Rachel McKibbens, from “letter from my brain to my heart,” blud

[charmymemes]

𝐎𝐂 𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐉𝐈 𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐒!

feel free to tweak questions + all emojis r listed in text form bc i can't see some of them aAAaaAA! sorry if any of these questions are too similar i tried to avoid that but .. there's a lot lol! categorized by emoji type.

i wanted to make one because i could not find one on tumblr already that had a ton of questions. this was created by combining ones under the #oc ask game tag + my own contributions. hi charmymemes nation i'm back.

people

👁️ EYE - what colour are their eyes? do people notice their eyes? is there anything special about them (shows emotion easily, literally magical...)?

🤥 LYING - are they good liars? do they have tells to show they're lying?

👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their "ghostly experiences", if any?

💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

😭 CRYING - what makes them cry? do they cry easily?

👊 PUNCH - are they quick to violence?

💢 ANGER - what are some habits they have that will take some getting used to?

👪 FAMILY - what is their family like? what is your ocs relationship to them? does your oc have any siblings?

😨 FEARFUL - when scared, do they go into "flight" or "fight"?

💤 SLEEPING - do they fall asleep easily? what helps them sleep?

food & drinks

🥞 PANCAKE - what is their comfort breakfast?

🎂 BIRTHDAY CAKE - when is their birthday? do they like celebrating it?

🍩 DONUT - favourite sweet treat?

🍟 FRIES - do they order food often? or they prefer to cook their own food?

☕️ HOT BEVERAGE - do they prefer hot or cold drinks? what is their favourite drink?

🍓 STRAWBERRY - do they eat their fruit & veg? what is their favourite fruit or vegetable?

🍰 CAKE SLICE - favourite cake flavour? are they specific about types of cakes?

🍧 SHAVED ICE - do they still have any objects from their childhood? what significance does it have to them? what would their reaction be if they lost it?

plants & nature

💐 BOUQUET - create a bouqet for them! what do those flowers mean? are any of the flowers their particular favourite?

🌙 MOON - what is your oc's greatest wish? how far are they willing to go for it?

🌋 VOLCANO - how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion?

🌺 HIBISCUS - do they have any allergies?

🍁 MAPLE LEAF - what is their favourite season? why?

🍃 FALLING LEAF - do they enjoy being in nature? what is their favourite outdoor activity?

☀️ SUN - are they a morning person? what is the first thing they do in the morning?

🕷️ SPIDER - what is their biggest fear? do they have any irrational / mundane fears?

🌹 ROSE - do they like valentines day? have they been confessed to before? have they confessed to anyone before?

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

🙊 SPEAK-NO-EVIL - what is something your oc will refuse to stay quiet about?

🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worse thing your oc could hear from someone?

🌱 SEEDLING - what is their most vivid memory from childhood?

🍀 CLOVER - do they believe in luck? are they lucky?

🌏 EARTH - will they give up the world for someone they love? is this decision easy for them?

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

activity

⚾ BASEBALL - can they play sports? what is their best position if they play a team sport? what's their strong suit (speed, power etc.)?

🏊 SWIMMING - can they swim? or are they afraid of water? how well do they swim? how do they feel about swimming in the ocean?

objects

📣 MEGAPHONE - how loud are they? what do they speak like? got a voice claim?

📖 OPEN BOOK - do they like reading? what's their favourite genre?

🪤 MOUSE TRAP - what will always lure them into certain danger? a loved one in danger? a promise of something they are always searching for?

📸 CAMERA - do they enjoy having their picture taken? what's their go-to pose? do they like taking photos? what do they take photos of?

🎭 MASKS - do they act differently around certain people? what's different between the way they act around friends, family, strangers, etc.?

✂️ SCISSORS - what is the "last straw" for them to cut someone out of their life? how easily do they let go of people?

💡 LIGHTBULB - is your oc a planner? do they write down every small detail or just wing it?

💎 DIAMOND - how rich are they? can they live the lifestyle they want to?

🎁 PRESENT - what types of presents would they be most happy to receive? are they good at gift giving?

🍼 BABY BOTTLE - what are their thoughts on children?

🔪 KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame?

👑 CROWN - what does your oc want to be remembered as? why?

✏️ PENCIL - is there a particular quote / lyric that you associate with them?

🎵 MUSIC NOTE - what is their playlist like? their favourite artists? do you associate a particular song with them?

🎤 MICROPHONE - are they good at singing? what is their go-to karaoke song?

🎷 SAXOPHONE - do they play any instruments? are they any good at it?

📚 BOOKS - how were they at school? what is their best subject? what is their worst subject? do they have a favourite subject?

👖 JEANS - what is their go-to outfit?

🎨 PALETTE - can they draw? what do they like to draw?

🎡 FERRIS WHEEL - are they someone who wants to kiss at the top of the ferris wheel?

⏳ HOURGLASS - are they usually late or on-time?

🔫 PISTOL - do they trust people easily? how easily will they turn their back to someone? have they been backstabbed before? will they betray someone if given an ultimatum?

🎀 RIBBON - how would they fit into other worlds / aus? what aus would you like to try out? what fictional world would they fit / not fit into?

📎 PAPERCLIP - a random fact.

📦 PACKAGE - what are some "most likely to..." that can apply to them?

🖍️ CRAYON - what advice would you give to them?

⚙️ GEAR - what are your ocs thoughts on science & art? which do they give more importance to? how much value do they place on each?

🔧 WRENCH - are they good at fixing relationships? or do they tend to avoid doing so?

❇️ SPARKLE - what is their most prized possession? what do they value?

📏 RULER - is your oc well educated? where did they get their learning from?

transport

🚆 TRAIN - what is their answer to the trolley problem?

🚲 BICYCLE - can they ride a bike? what do they remember from learning to ride a bicycle?

weather

🌩️ LIGHTNING - are they scared of lightning?

💧 DROPLET - random angst headcanon

❄️ SNOWFLAKE - do people consider them cold? if so, what made them this way?

🌪️ TORNADO - what is the biggest change you've ever made to them? how have they changed from their original version?

🌈 RAINBOW - what advice would they give to their younger self?

🔥 FIRE - do they have any self destructive tendencies? what habits do they have that hinder them from becoming their best self?

☁️ CLOUD - a soft headcanon

🌟 GLOWING STAR - what do they think about when they look at the night sky? is there someone they want to star gaze with?

🌠 SHOOTING STAR - if they could make any wish with no repercussions, what wish would they make?

☄️ COMET - what do people assume about them? are they right?

hearts

💓 BEATING HEART - what gets their heart racing?

💘 HEART W/ ARROW - what traits do they look for in a relationship? do they believe in love at first sight?

💗 GROWING HEART - if they have a crush, is it noticable? what changes when they're in love?

❤️ RED HEART - their love language(s)?

💙 BLUE HEART - do they miss their s/o easily? how do they act when their s/o isn't around?

💚 GREEN HEART - what things make your oc feel comforted? hugs, kisses, food?

💖 SPARKLING HEART - are they a subtle or a showy lover?

💌 LOVE LETTER - do they like love letters? what kind of messages do they leave for their partner?

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

[neil-gaiman]

Eight Rules For Writing -- from a long ago piece I wrote for The Guardian.

1 Write.

2 Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.

3 Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

4 Put it aside. Read it pretending you've never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.

5 Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

6 Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.

7 Laugh at your own jokes.

8 The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.

[paradiseupahead]

“I’m not too gone to be / healed, am I? / I’m not too gone / am I?”

— Alice Notley, from In the Pines (via luthienne)

[a-pirates-threnody]

X

M. A. Thompson - I Won’t Write My Poem ‘Till I’m In My Right Mind X

Mary Oliver X

Richard Siken - road music

George Sand (Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin) in her letter to Gustave Flaubert X

Ada Limón - The Carrying X

Nikki Giovanni - Mirrors X

“I just want to be kind in a world that isn’t”

[dogmotif-deactivated20240505]

i dont enjoy content i consume it obsessively until i feel physically ill from thinking about certain characters there's a difference

[northern-passage]

hey everyone! check out the world land trust bundle over on itch.io!!! over $400 worth of games, 60+ games, for only $4.99!! it’s available until dec 10th with a goal of $5,000 and all proceeds are being donated to the world land trust!

[memoryslandscape-deactivated202]

“At times I suffer from the strangest sense of detachment from myself and the world about me; I seem to watch it all from the outside, from somewhere inconceivably remote, out of time, out of space, out of the stress and tragedy of it all.”

—  H. G. Wells, from The War of the Worlds in The Great Science Fiction (Penguin Modern Classics, 2017) ( (via fotoartiste)

[aru]

Tumblr Code.

[geekishchic]

If I ever see any of you in public, the code is “i fill my ass with orange juice”

that way we know we’re from tumblr without revealing anything

I’m just going to say this to strangers until i find a tumblr person

must keep reblogering!! Im going to be so suspicious if any one tells me this now!

Remember the answer is: ”17 cocks”

always reblog tumblr identification

[amlsh-deactivated20181211]

this post makes me want to gouge my eyes out

[sads]

im laughins so hard who changed it

[ace-beef]

[pisshandkerchief-deactivated202]

WHO TF EDITED THE SHOELACE POST

[pisshandkerchief-deactivated202]

No seriously the edit function has been gone for years who did this

[doomsdayartificer]

Yeah, I thought the statement was about shoelaces, not orange juice. Who the fuck made it about orange juice?

[writingwithcolor]

Naming a South Asian Character

“I need a name for a South Asian character”

We’re going to need a little more information than that…

Please see the following maps of South Asia:

Image description: Two maps of South Asia. The top map depicts the South Asian region, including Afghanistan with color-coding of different regions by 8 color-coded language groups. The bottom depicts the official state/ province/ languages and scripts for countries in the South Asian region, excluding Afghanistan. See end of post for detailed image description under the cut.

(Links: Top Map, Bottom Map)

That’s a lot of languages, right?

Names in South Asian cultures are primarily dictated by religion and language. While there’s some overlap between cultures, we can make an educated guess of someone’s ethnicity & religion based on their name. For example:

Simran Dhillon … is a Punjabi Sikh.

Priyanka Ghosh … is a Bengali Hindu

Maya Srinivasan … is a Tamilian Hindu.

Harsh Patel … is a Gujarati Hindu.

Amin Usmani … is a Muslim from a traditionally Urdu speaking community.

Teresa Fernandes … is a Goan Christian.

Behind the Name is a good place to start looking as they state the specific language the name is from. As for religion, there are more factors to consider.

Sikhs

Sikh first names are gender neutral. The 10th Sikh guru designated Singh (meaning lion, for men) and Kaur (meaning heir to the throne, for women) as Sikh surnames. These surnames were designed to be equalizers within Sikh communities. However, many Sikhs keep their Punjabi surnames (many of these surnames are now primarily associated with Sikhs) and use Singh and Kaur as a middle name (eg. Ranjit Kaur Shergill, Amrit Singh Cheema). More devout Sikhs use only Singh and Kaur or use the same format legally but do not share their surnames.

Sikh first names are derived from gurbani (Sikh holy texts), so they are often uniform across cultures. Most Sikhs who aren’t Punjabi use Singh & Kaur or cultural surnames in the same format. The latter is usually seen among Afghan & Delhiite Sikh communities. While most changed their surnames to Singh & Kaur, some families still kept the surnames they had before they converted from Islam and Hinduism (eg. Harpreet Singh Laghmani, Jasleen Kaur Kapoor).

If you’re stuck on a surname for a Sikh character, Singh for men and Kaur for women is the safest way to go regardless of ethnicity.

Good resources for Sikh names can be found here:

https://www.sikhs.org/names.htm

http://www.sikhwomen.com/SikhNames/ 

Christians

South Asian Christians naming conventions depend largely on who brought Christianity to the region and when. For example, Christianity was largely brought to Goa by Portuguese Catholics so you’ll see Portuguese surnames, while many Christians in the Seven Sister States didn’t change their names. South Asian Christians will also often have Christian first names, either in Portuguese or in English.

Hindus, Jains, castes and gotras

Hinduism is the majority religion in India and the South Asian region overall. A key thing that many newcomers overlook when writing about Hindus is that rather like feudal Europe, a person’s last name can also tell you what their family used to do because of the caste system. Both Hindus and Jains employ gotras (or lineage systems) designed to keep people from the same patrilineal line from marrying each other. Thus, if your Hindu character is a Vaishya (tradesman/ merchant class), but you have chosen a last name for them related to farming, or if your Kshatriya (warrior) character has a last name that means bureaucrat, you’ve made a mistake. Most Hindus and Jains will have last names derived from Sanskrit, or a language with Sanskrit roots.

A note on middle names: in South India, Hindus will often use the father’s first name for the child’s middle name.

For what it is worth, South Asia is hardly the only region to have these particular features. Japanese society until the end of the Edo era was heavily segregated by caste, and to this day, many families with samurai last names occupy relative positions of privilege compared to other castes, even though the Japanese caste system ended with the Meiji Restoration. 

A note of caution: Baby name websites tend to be inaccurate for Hindu names, often confusing Farsi and Arabic-derived Urdu names with the more traditional Sanskrit-derived names. Behind the Name is by far the most accurate website, but it doesn’t hurt to check multiple sources. For Hindu and Jain surnames associated with different castes, regions and gotras, Wikipedia is surprisingly thorough.

Muslims

Islam is the majority religion in Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as the second largest religion in India, but the differing ethnicities and arrival periods of Muslims in South Asia over the course of history can have a significant impact on a character’s name. For example,  think of when your character’s family will have arrived in South Asia or converted to Islam:

During the Delhi Sultanate, when Hindustani would have been spoken? 

Under the Mughals when Persian was more common? 

Are they from Bangladesh and thus speak Bengali? 

Do they have ancestors from Afghanistan or Swat Valley, and thus have Pashto last names? 

Does the family speak Urdu? 

All of these will impact what their name might reasonably be. As a general rule, Muslims will have last names that are in Farsi/ Persian, Urdu, Arabic and Bengali. Bangladeshi Muslims may have Hindu names (both first and last) as well.

Buddhists

When discussing Buddhists in South Asia, we are primarily talking about Nepal and Sri Lanka. The majority languages in these countries are Nepali and Sinhala, respectively. Both languages are part of the Indo-Aryan language family, and like many Indo-Aryan languages, show heavy Sanskrit influence.

Others

Don’t forget that India also has a large number of lesser known minority religions, including Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Tibetan Buddhism and a host of indigenous religions. 

Judaism: There are a number of historical Jewish enclaves in India, as the result of specific waves of migration. Like South Asian Muslim names, Jewish last names will vary depending on the ethnicity and arrival period for each particular wave of Jewish diaspora. 

Zoroastrianism: People who practice Zoroastrianism are likely to have Farsi last names. 

Tibetan Buddhism: Tibetan Buddhists will obviously have Tibetan names and are often a part of the Tibetan diaspora who entered India as refugees during the Chinese government’s invasion of Tibet.

In Conclusion

An in-depth coverage of name etymology in South Asia would probably be the size of an encyclopaedia. The above is hardly exhaustive; we haven’t scratched the surface of the ethnic and linguistic variations in any of the South Asian countries displayed on the maps above. We hope, however, that it motivates you to research carefully and appreciate the cultural diversity South Asia has to offer. Just like in any setting where issues of lineage are plainly displayed by a person’s name, names in South Asia tell stories about where a person is from, what language they speak, and what their ancestors might have done, even if this has little bearing on the character themselves. It may seem a little elaborate to try and imagine the ancestors of your character before you even decide who your character is, but the reality is that most South Asians know these things instinctively, and whether or not you do your due diligence will be part of how we judge your work. 

Name a thing to fight over, and South Asians have probably fought over it at one point or another, whether it be religion, ethnicity, language, or caste. However, one thing many South Asians have in common is pride in our individual origins. Respecting this love of identity will be invaluable as you plan your story.

At the end of the day, there is no substitute for actually talking to people who share your character’s background. We will always recommend having someone from the community you’re writing about check your naming.

– Mods SK and Marika

Follow up

A disclaimer for our Desi followers

Keep reading

[interact-if]

Do you remember that mystery event poll we did a while ago? Welcome to the big reveal!

Interact-if is hosting two game jams on Itch.io

What is a game jam?

A game jam is a challenge to make a game using a specific prompt or theme. Some are ranked, some have time limits, some have neither. If you’re interested in learning more, here’s Itch.io’s Game Jams page so you can take a quick look around!

What is interact-if hosting?

We are hosting two game jams, one that will be ranked and judged, another that will not and will instead focus on introducing authors to interactive fiction instead of competing. Both will have different prompts which will be revealed… later ;)

So what are authors doing, exactly?

Without getting into details, authors will be writing short story IFs that can be done within the month of January. Similar to NaNoWrimo but for IF instead.

IF is already a large beast to tangle with, so we encourage authors to keep it in the short story range, to ask for help if you need it, and to pace yourselves when writing!

When?

January 2022! Based on the results from our poll, that would be the best month for most of our community to participate if they’d like to.

Where?

The jam will be hosted on Itch.io where games will also be submitted and published. Links to the sign-up pages can be found below in the Links section.

Why?

We designed this event to both act as a community builder as well as to encourage new creators in trying out how to code and structure their stories by starting with a smaller project than your standard IF.

We want both new and experienced authors (and readers who want to try their hand!) to participate, to learn Twine, Ren’py, Inky, or any other language they desire to take those first steps into IF, or to try something new and different from their main project!

How will this go?

For the month of October we will be re-blogging advice, tutorials, templates, and other resources for learning to code. We will be focused mostly on Twine since it’s what the mods are most acquainted with, but that doesn’t mean you can’t branch out to other alternatives!

On the last week of December we will release an official announcement going into more details about the jams, judging and ranking, expectations, etc.

January 1st 2022 the game jams begin! We will release the prompts for the jams and will be opening a new channel in our discord to help out new creators, offer advice, or discuss ideas and thoughts.

Links

Download Twine

How to Start w/ Twine, Sugarcube & Harlowe

Basic Templates to Start With [1] [2]

Writing Resources, Tutorials, Coding Resources

Non-ranked Game Jam Sign-up Page

Ranked Game Jam Sign-up Page

We have also re-opened the inbox for questions! It’s…still not empty but close enough! :D

[hellojoygames]

Beta testers needed!!

Hi everyone! I am officially looking for beta testers for An Elemental Existence (previously What a Brilliant Existence!). This new version will be very different from the OG ChoiceScript one, and I am definitely going to need some feedback!

What I’m looking for:

People to review An Elemental Existence’s scripts. These scripts contain coding, but I’d only need you to give me feedback on the content itself, and not anything involving coding (bugs, for example). I’ll also explain any part of the script that’s confusing due to code (it’s written in a very simple language, don’t worry);

Preferably, people who have played What a Brilliant Existence! before. This new version is being transferred to a more visual platform with much shorter episodes (2k-2.5k words each at most), and so I’d like people who understand the original story and my own writing so I can get more useful feedback.

I can’t give out many details, but please message me if you’re interested, and I’ll explain it better and will answer any questions! I currently have one episode up for beta testing, and a second one coming soon.

Reblogs are very much appreciated! Thanks! 💘

[cyberpunklesbian]

Consolidated list of IF/Twine recs

(non-choicescript stuff; either choice-based or hypertext stories)

Almost all of these games are entirely free.

Personal Favorites:

Afficher davantage

[ataleofcrowns]

A New Interactive Novel

A Tale of Crowns is a high fantasy love story with Middle Eastern roots, free to play from start till finish, both on pc as well as mobile! It’s entirely text-based, with choices throughout to shape both your main character’s personality and skills as well as influence their relationships with others. There are four love interests for you to choose from, both female as well as male, each with their own stories and secrets for you to uncover!

❂ THE SETTING

The story takes place in Arsur, a fictional empire within a fantasy universe that draws inspiration from historical settings in the Middle East. Much of it is based on Kurdish culture, drawing from my own experience as a Kurdish woman.

Your character was born and raised in Arsur, where magic is considered a skill no different from reading or writing. Gender, sexual orientation and race have no bearing on social position or class; it is instead only based on wealth and level of education.

The Arsurian Empire itself is overseen by a single ruler known as the Crown. Unlike traditional monarchies, however, the title is not inherited through blood. Whenever the Crown dies, their famed golden eyes pass on to the one chosen by the spirits of this world to be the new Crown: this appears to happen at random, as Crowns in the past have ranged from the poorest farmer to the wealthiest noble.

❂ THE STORY

Their parents murdered and the previous Crown of Arsur assassinated, your character finds themselves on the run as they’ve been bestowed with the golden eyes that mark them as the new Crown.

Unseen enemies at their heels, will they succeed as the Crown, or will they lead to the downfall of the Empire?

❂ CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION

At the beginning of the story, you’ll have the opportunity to customize your Crown’s name, pronouns, sexual orientation and their skill in magic. You can also customize many parts of your Crown’s appearance: hair color, hair texture, hair style, skin color and height are all up to you and will be reflected in the story as well.

As for your Crown’s personality, there are twelve different character traits in total that will be decided based on the choices you make in game. This will subsequently change your Crown’s behavior during story scenes.

The character traits are: Charming/Blunt, Kind/Calculated, Intelligent/Intuitive, Cautious/Adventurous, Flirtatious/Reserved and Assertive/Passive. Some of these will mix and interact with each other in different ways as well!

❂ THE LOVE INTERESTS

Depending on what your Crown’s sexual orientation is, the gender of the love interests will change accordingly to match that. There are four of them in total, and regardless of their gender their titles are as follows: the Sorcerer, the Hero, the Protector and the General. Each love interest will have their own route which you will get to choose from at the end of the common route.

As of today, the common route of the story has been completed at around 117k words, and I have started publishing the routes for the love interests! I will release each chapter as I finish it, so the game will be a continuous work in progress. Would you like to know more about the story, the setting, or the love interests? Check out the game blog!

NOTE: This game is not suited for those under 16 years of age! Please keep the age rating in mind.

See the blog page for links!

[salty-stories]

I’ve noticed quite a few people being interested in Twine games/other interactive fiction but having trouble finding them on Itch.io. It’s not quite the same as scrolling the CoG forum or Dashingdon but easy to pick up after a while! 

It’s not a comprehensive list but I’ve combed through my history and the Interactive Fiction tag on Itch to find both completed/WIPs that are long-form narratives with some kind of customizable protagonist! 

Here’s the list!

If anyone has a work I missed or something they’d like me to add, let me know<3

[idrellegames]

IF Twine Games

Since I’ve been seeing questions about Twine and other IF platforms beyond Choice of Games pop up over the last few days, I thought I’d make a list of Twine IFs for those interested!

If you’re unfamiliar, Twine is a tool for creating interactive, non-linear, choice-based stories. It utilizes an assortment of coding languages (HTML, CSS and Javascript) in addition to its story formats to code games. Twine games are browser-based and many are available to play for free on itch.io.   

This is by no means a definitive list (I’m sorry if I missed someone!), but here are a few IF Twine games. Most are currently in development and their creators have development blogs on tumblr.

Afficher davantage