Life's little pleasures

Some games, lgbtiqa positivity, probably cats =^-^=, and birds

[good-luck-charms]

Pogledajte "Isn't It Delicate… 2019 Fall Young Horse Edition" na YouTubeu

Look at my friend go 😍. You never know how much is going on behind the scenes. These two are going on their first showjumping competition by the end of the month. Wish them luck! ✨

[koutone-moved]

I love him

[patientno7]

the suffering never ends

[sinksanksockie2]

This is the real process

[thewritingbeast-blog]

Resources for you!

Character Ideas:

Character creation masterpost

Character Alignment Chart

More character alignment descriptions

Muslim Character questions

Characters with magical powers

Building a new character advice

How to create a character for an online or tabletop RPG (also a good guide on creating characters in general)

Royalty/nobility TV Tropes page

Basic character profile

OC masterpost

Random character generators - (1), (2), (3), (4)

D&D Character Building Tool

Character Design Ideas:

How clothing affects a character’s personality

Character Design Inspiration blog

Concept art, fan art, cool art to be inspired by

Character design references and inspiration

Sources for POC character design ideas and models

Create your own character model using HeroForge

For horned characters

Body and hair types guide

Random outfit generator

Naming Help:

Amazing site with an endless amount of naming resources

General advice on avoiding naming appropriation

Hispanic Surnames

Gothic Victorian names

Huge master list for character things in general

Masterlist of names of all types - including but not limited to ancient/old world names, Celtic, African, Northern European, Southern and Central American Native names, Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Polynesian, and more

Another name masterlist

How to pick a character name guide

Yet another names masterlist

Creating Background/backstory:

Character Sheet/Development Sheet

Another character development list

In-depth character personality, motivations and traits sheet

320 talents and passions for characters

On writing likes and dislikes that aren’t frivolous

Why you should write non-human characters non-conforming to the gender binary

Stereotypes, tropes, and archetypes

Random backstory generator

Assassin and thief character tropes to avoid

Character Interactions and putting your character into your world/story:

Comparing character height/height references

Characters who are scientists and writing about them doing science

Describing what different voices sound like

Describing skin tones

Writing friendship interactions that are platonic

Why having one character knock their friend unconscious to prevent them from doing something is a bad idea

Advice on shipping OCs with canon characters and what to avoid doing

Sweet Polly Oliver and Sweet on Polly Oliver situations (think of Disney’s Mulan for an example)

How to write multiple viewpoints/juggling a main cast of more than 4 to 6 characters

How to make readers care about your morally gray hero/anti-hero

On platonic OC and canon character relationships

How to avoid Godmodding in RPs

When it’s cheap to kill off a character

Writing dialogue

Things you shouldn’t do to canon characters

Avoiding purple prose in writing and RPs

Slang resources

Dialogue tips

Websites to chart your story/plot/character relationships

Bonus art masterlist!

[brucewayneright]

BLESS EVERYONE IN THIS POST.

[startripperhq]

COOL.

[petitprincess1]

I’VE REBLOGGED THIS BEFORE AND I WILL REBLOG IT 20 TIMES MORE

[sonderingeternally]

World Building Tips:  Empires and Power Structures

World building is important in any setting. There are places, such as fantasy literature where it can become the difference between a believable world and an unbelievable one. Suspension of disbelief is often a critical part to stories. 

Many fantasy books take place during times of war, or revolution or even a fall of a corrupt empire.  I love reading these sorts of stories, as many people do.  Power structures can be complex.  They can be used to create tension and drama between characters - take for instance the hero versus the corrupt government troupe in fiction such as The Hunger Games, Harry Potter or even more traditional fantasies such as Tigana ( by Guy Gavriel Kay) or The Wheel of Time series (by Robert Jordan).   As a reader it can be compelling to follow these stories.  For writers though, it can seem daunting to go into the details of shaping a believable power structure.  Here are some basic tips for creating one.  

There are four crucial factors to any power structure.  These are as follows:

1. Military - this includes the size of the army, the types of technology used (guns or swords? navy or land army?), the basic structure of the army (is it highly regimented like the Romans? What are the different groups within the army? How are they divided - by technology, skills or social status?). Another important question here is why has the military developed in this way? The Roman military, for example, grew out of competition with other Italian states. The opposition is equally important here - who were/are they within your story? Apply the above questions just as much to them, because empires and other structures are influenced by the world around them. The military can be the reason an empire begins in the first place.  The military should also play a role in sustaining the power structure/empire.  It doesn’t have to be the strongest factor by any means.  It may even become the downfall of the structure in the end.

2. Economy - How is your power structure or empire funded? Does this change over time? Does your empire take part in internal or external trade? Is trade important to the running of the empire? Resources such as crops, fertile land or people are also a part of this and influences the larger actions (such as conquest) your structure takes towards other countries. Trade can be a form of control and influence as well, even outside of the structure’s territory. In terms of story, a lot of decisions that are made involve trade or economic reasons - no one wants to get on the wrong side of someone who controls valuable resources or trade with other entities. The British Empire was based mainly on trade and this insured a global influence even as it declined in actual power.

3. Administration: The system of government and the way it manages itself is important to know. Is it a traditional monarchy or a democracy? How is leadership decided? How is power delegated throughout the larger administration? Hierarchy? One person can’t do or know everything. In terms of empire and conquest this is equally important. Does the empire recruit the local elites from conquered areas to administer to the general public, like the Romans? If your story is set in the outskirts of your empire, this could effect the outcome of the story - local elites might enjoy the power they have gained through an alliance with the larger empire and thus be unwilling to revolt against it. What other ways does your power structure control its territory? Does it use culture, or a set language to spread out into new territory? What kind of empire is your empire? Is it land based (only conquering territories linked by land) or maritime (navy focused with overseas territory)?

4. Culture: How does your power structure interact with its subjects? Even in a small area, different ethnic groups exist, so what unites all of them together? Are they all united, or is there groups of people the power structure leaves out? Have they always been left out deliberately or have these groups formed over time?How does the the government and the people from inside the empire view outsiders and their culture? Does this influence your story or characters? Do negative stereotypes or different language create a barrier between your character and others? In newly conquered areas is the empire’s language, laws and social ideals endorsed to locals or is it forced upon them? Is religion important to how the empire works or interacts? For example, before war do the gods need to show approval for the empire’s commanders? What about clashes of religion with other areas? Where do cultures intersect? Is your empire influenced by an older power or a hard past? What is seen as integral to your structure’s culture - art, literature, music etc? Are allies connected with your structure through culture, a shared distant history?

Most power structures rely on all of these factors - but none are ever equal in importance. Your government will identify one or two of these areas as important and focus on them. This can impact how the structure comes together and eventually falls apart - the greatest strength becomes a weakness, or something is overlooked until it is too late.

This is a long post - so I’m going to leave it here for now. If you guys have any questions, feel free to use the Ask feature to contact me.

[thenamesjocelyn]

[jatel0-deactivated20150421]

For The Masses:

http://gen.lib.rus.ec

http://textbooknova.com

http://en.bookfi.org/

http://www.gutenberg.org

http://ebookee.org

http://www.manybooks.net

http://www.giuciao.com

http://www.feedurbrain.com

http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=380

http://www.alleng.ru/ 

http://www.eknigu.com/ 

http://ishare.iask.sina.com.cn/

http://2020ok.com/

http://www.freebookspot.es/Default.aspx

http://www.freeetextbooks.com/

http://onebigtorrent.org/

http://www.downeu.me/ebook/

http://forums.mvgroup.org

http://theaudiobookbay.com/

More Here

[keomoto-deactivated20141214]

no one coulda reblogged this a month ago when i spent 500

[kreativegeenius]

momentsbymarcus

[trappunzelll]

Look at KB coming through

[kimreesesdaughter]

Every time you see this, reblog it. There is always someone in college that will see this.

[heartou]

“All these people everywhere, but my eyes on you. ”

[vladtheunfollower]

Monet’s Pond, Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Credit: Hidenobu Suzuki

[eelpatrickharris-deactivated202]

there’s a horse napping on my foot rn

[eelpatrickharris-deactivated202]

idk i haven’t asked

[vaporsk8]

oh my god you werent exaggerating like that is just deadass a fucking horse sleeping on your motherfucking foot bitch shit goddamn

[eelpatrickharris-deactivated202]

ya

[scaryfaggot]

@pros-n-cons

[arielhart]

back on my bullshit

[jasmiinitee-deactivated20210610]

My Biggest and Most Annoying Fictional Horse Pet Peeve

Big Horses are a Very New Thing and they Likely Didn’t Exist in your Historical and/or Fantasy Settings.

You’ve all seen it in every historical piece of media ever produced. Contrary to popular belief, a big black horse with long legs and long flowing mane is not a widespread or even a particularly old type of horse.

THIS IS NOT A MEDIEVAL THING. THIS IS NOT EVEN A BAROQUE THING. THIS IS A NINETEENTH CENTURY CITY CARRIAGE HORSE.

All the love to fancy Friesian horses, but your Roman general or Medieval country heroine just really couldn’t, wouldn’t, and for the sake of my mental health shouldn’t have ridden one either.

Big warmblood horses are a Western European and British invention that started popping up somewhere around 1700s when agriculture and warfare changed, and when rich folks wanted Bigger Faster Stronger Thinner race horses. The modern warmblood and the big continental draught both had their first real rise to fame in the 1800s when people started driving Fancy Carriages everywhere, and having the Fanciest Carriage started to mean having the Tallest and Thinnest Horses in the town.

Before mechanised weaponry and heavy artillery all horses used to be small and hardy easy-feeders. Kinda like a donkey but easier to steer and with a back that’s not as nasty and straight to sit on.

SOME REAL MEDIEVAL, ROMAN, OTTOMAN, MONGOL, VIKING, GREEK and WHATEVER HISTORICALLY PLAUSIBLE HORSES FOR YOU:

“Primitive”, native breeds all over the globe tend to be only roughly 120-140 cm (12.0 - 13.3 hh) tall at the withers. They all also look a little something like this:

Mongolian native horse (Around 120-130 at the withers, and decendants of the first ever domesticated horses from central Asia. Still virtually unchanged from Chinggis Khan’s cavalry, ancestor to many Chinese, Japanese and Indian horses, and bred for speed racing and surviving outdoors without the help of humans.)

Carpathian native horse / Romanian and Polish Hucul Pony (Around 120-150 at the withers, first mentioned in writing during the 400s as wild mountain ponies, depicted before that in Trajanian Roman sculptures, used by the Austro-Hungarian cavalry in the 19th century)

Middle-Eastern native horse / Caspian Pony (Around 100-130 at the withers, ancestor of the Iranian Asil horse and its decendants, including the famous Arabian and Barb horses, likely been around since Darius I the Great, 5th century BC, and old Persian kings are often depicted riding these midgets)

Baltic Sea native horse / Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Gotland and Nordland horses (Around 120-150 at the withers, descendant of Mongolian horses, used by viking traders in 700-900 AD and taken to Iceland. Later used by the Swedish cavalry in the 30 years war and by the Finnish army in the Second World War, nowadays harness racing and draught horses)

Siberian native horse / Yakutian pony (Around 120-140 at the withers, related to Baltic and Mongolian horses and at least as old, as well-adapted to Siberian climate as woolly mammoths once were, the hairiest horse there is, used in draught work and herding)

Mediterranean native horse / Skyros pony, Sardinian Giara, Monterufolino (Around 100-140 at the Withers, used and bred by ancient Greeks for cavalry use, influenced by African and Eastern breeds, further had its own influence on Celtic breeds via Roman Empire, still used by park ranger officers in Italy)

British Isles’ native horse / various “Mountain & Moorland” pony breeds (Around 100-150 at the withers, brought over and mixed by Celts, Romans and Vikings, base for almost every modern sport pony and the deserving main pony of all your British Medieval settings. Some populations still live as feral herds in the British countryside, used as war mounts, draught horses, mine pit ponies, hunting help and race horses)

So hey, now you know!

[slavicafire]

I love this so much - and now I know why Tall Lanky Thin horses have a terryfying vibe to them, and the “primitive” native pony-like breeds awake in me only hope and trust.

[elodieunderglass]

such valid historical finger-eaters here

[archaeologysucks]

His Scandinavian name Rolf was extended to Gaange Rolf because he became too heavy as an adult for a horse to carry, therefore he had to walk (“gaa” in older Dano-Norwegian).

Me: ooooooooooohhhh…..

[captainlordauditor]

Dr James Barry, the first doctor to perform a successful C section wherein both mother and child survived, was a huge champion of handwashing at a time when most doctors didn’t wash their hands. For this reason, many of the chilldbirths he delivered resulted in healthier babies and mothers. He was also a gay trans man, who specifically wrote that upon his death he wished for his body to be taken in its nightshirt, wrapped in his sheets as a shroud, and placed into the coffin so that nobody would see his body. His wishes were not respected, and as a result he was outed at his death.

[captainlordauditor]

i’ve also been informed he had a poodle. He named his poodle Psyche. I’d just like to congratulate him on being an excellent human being, who not only pioneered modern medicine but also had good taste in dogs. that is all.

[captainlordauditor]

types of responses to this post

i thought this was fake but it’s not

here’s the sawbones episode about him

cis people

[asymbina]

He was also reportedly quite the ladies’ man, and he’d apparently carried a child to term and gave birth.

[nunchler]

he’s one of my favorite historical figures and ive read a lot on him including the biography Scanty Particulars by Rachel Holmes. a lot of the details of his life are difficult to figure out, partly cause he was very private and partly cause he had so many rumors surrounding him. here are some of my fave facts about him:

-he was very concerned with protecting poor people, women and people of color, aka all the people most of upper class british society at the time cared the least about. he worked to reform prisons and hospitals in south africa at risk to his own career, and also improved the conditions under which poor enlisted british soldiers and their families lived

-he was kind of a known hothead. he was rumored to have fought at least one duel (probably not true though). florence nightingale hated him even though they had similar ideas about medicine because they had such a clash of personalities in the brief time they worked together

-he was a vegetarian and took a goat with him on sea voyages so he could always have fresh milk

-even though he had an abrasive personality and made a lot of enemies, his patients, especially the women, really loved him because they felt like he knew what he was doing and actually cared about their health

-he died poor because the british army ripped him off >:/

edit i almost forgot the best thing. he didn’t just have one poodle named psyche. he had a bunch. when one died he would get a new poodle and name that one psyche too

[the-real-seebs]

“i thought your poodle died?”

“psyche!” [poodle comes trotting in]

[captainlordauditor]

this is the best response

[gehayi]

Photo of Dr. James Barry in the late 1840s:

You can read more about Dr. Barry here.

[lanque-hates-terfs]

MY MAN

[tofu-pofu]

[captainlordauditor]

Imagine trying to explain this addition to the post to Dr. Barry himself

[queen-schadenfreude]

asra no

[shitpost-my-interests]

[arcanastuff]

Love, adore, obsessed about it.

[nightsver-deactivated20180415]

hey you look really cute today

april fools you look cute everyday keep it up 

[good-luck-charms]

Dream fairy

I was standing by the fruits and vegetables, reaching for some carrots what a purple vortex appeared in front of me.

“What the…?” I didn’t manage to finish before a lean figure appeared in front of me.

Still partially in the portal, he looked me in the eyes and said: “You are too sexy for this place, come with me. “

He grabbed me by the hand, but I didn’t let him pull me in.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” I returned his gaze. Their clear amber was inviting, but also determined and hard.

He tugged my hand.

“There’s no time to explain! Please!” his voice was serious and alarming, and I felt myself submitting to his lead.

He disappeared back through the purple swirls of the portal which rippled with his passing. I looked down, his hand still held mine, warm and reassuring. With a deep breath I snuffed out the voices of shippers around me. The shock, panic, and confusion were not welcome as I stepped through.

The breath was pulled out of my lungs, the portal collapsed on itself behind me. Moving on this side of it felt like moving through water. Slower, but not unpleasant.

My eyes locked onto my leader, and he smiled at me. I pulled back my hand once he released his grasp on it.

“I know how to choose well.” He said. “I knew you would follow.”

“What am I being chosen for? Exactly?” I asked, looking around. Air was filled with a bright pink hue, with floating rectangular mirrors in the distance.

“To paint, of course.”

I looked back to him. His baby blue long hair, and pale skin, made him stand out in this environment.  

He spread his arms wide and as if called forth, mirrors appeared around him.

I could see now that each mirror was painted over with a picture.

I was in awe.

“And how can I do that?” I asked, breathless.

“Relax, and put down what resonates with you.”, he approached me and asked permission with his eyes, “What moves your soul.” He put an arm around my shoulders.

“We can visit other works for inspiration if you so wish.”

A few mirrors glimmered with light, making the pictures drawn on them stand out like stain glassed windows.

“Wait wait wait!” I moved away, shaking my head.

“Who are you? Where are we? What about the…” I looked back where the portal was and saw only empty space. “my world? And why do you need me to do this?”

He sighed and waved a hand through the air.

A table with two chairs facing each other appeared out of nowhere.

“Please take a seat.” He motioned for me to sit on a chair he pulled out. I felt my cheeks burn at the gesture and complied. He walked around the table to sit on the chair opposite me.

“I’m called Jan, and these are daydreams” He waved his arm wide towards the mirrors. „which ease the minds of the weary travellers, tense teens, bored workers, and all who crave a bit of an escape from the ordinary.”

I nodded, drawn into his explanation.

“I seek help of creative and willing souls to create journeys that will brighten humanity’s day, make them wonder and look upon their own experiences.”

His speech seemed like a well-rehearsed monologue.

“Think of me as a fairy godmother if you so wish, but I can’t do it alone… I tire as well.”

I felt for him and almost reached out to touch him, but more questions plagued my mind.

“Why me? And what will happen to the people who saw us disappear from the shop?”

“They know too much. They must die.” He delivered in a flat voice.

“What? NO!” I jumped from my seat.

Jan laughed and waved for me to disregard his announcement and sit back down.

“I usually agree on a scene with the dreamer, that is you, which will happen instead of us disappearing. It’s usually some silly accident like slipping on something and falling.”

I blinked at him from my seat, still trying to process what this meant for me.

“People hitting poles on the street is my personal favourite.” He put a palm to the edge of his mouth as if whispering me a secret.

“I…see.”

Jan’s eyes twinkled as he watched me.

“As for why you in particular; I’ve seen you wonder some of my creations and you feel like an adventurer. I thought you wouldn’t mind an afternoon with me.” He leaned forward on the table. “What do you say?”

My gaze grazed my surroundings as I considered all the new information.

“I’ll do it!” I got up from my chair again and grinned at Jan who mirrored my actions. His teeth were sharp and silver but they didn’t scare me.

“That’s the spirit!” He approved.  

[good-luck-charms]

Ghost Cat

He breathed deep, relaxed breaths curled at the foot of his owner's bed. She was calm and that calm washed over him as well. This was a good night.

His ears twitched at the sound of footsteps. Longer than his owner’s and soft. He knew them, his owner’s mate. He remembered how she used to sneeze while brushing his winter coat out with Spring’s start.

Her weight moved the mattress and he purred in greeting. She went past him and moved to embrace his owner who sighed softly at the touch.

It was a good home.

Sun was rising and he moved to wake Owner out of habit. She rarely responded to his cries these days. She did, however, wake of her own accord, letting out sounds similar to purrs as she stretched. She was always like this and, among other reasons, it was why she could understand him and he her as well as they did.

A gentle caress to wake her Mate before she went into the kitchen to make that brew they both liked. His food and water bowls were gone but he still kept her company as she moved around, preparing some breakfast.

He could always feel how she liked doing this, and was happy with her Mate’s quiet gratitude. They had a language of their own.

Her Mate was good, gentle to Owner. She made Owner happy and that was more than enough for him to like her.

As they finished their meal, Owner got tense. She would leave soon and he would stay home alone with Mate. With Owner gone, he could always feel a change. Feel Mate more.

It happened as it always did, a few exchanges between mates and his brush against Owner’s leg. Sad, but encouraged by their affection, Owner left.

He watched Mate prepare her space and bring in those vibrations she liked surrounding her as she moved her hand at the table, staring at the light and colour box.

All her energy was focused on the colourbox with palpable intensity. It was scary to think of getting between her and it now. This energy… It would sometimes bring shapes and colours from her as it did now.

Both Owner and Mate could get like this when watching the colourbox, he never understood it. At least when owner did it there were gentle clicking sounds at the button board which would lull him.    

He jumped on the table, slashing at the forms with his claws. Today they were very thick and he could hear Mate drawing sharp lines at the table. The sounds followed his swipes and this pleased him. They were fighting the shapes together.

He got tired after a while and lay by the box at the table. Mate’s swipes were soft now, swirling, calming. He rested his eyes as she was continuously slowing her movements.

After a while, movements were mostly replaced by clicks at the box, like a chirp of birds.

He didn’t realise he had been sleeping until a variety of scents hit his nostrils. His back arched as he stretched. He then followed his nose to the source.

Mate was cooking.

He jumped up on the kitchen counter. Mate was soft, calm, and smiling. Owner must be arriving home soon. Only he could hear the doors open over the sound of Mate laying out the table for dinner. Owner opened the door slowly, a force of habit. She couldn’t touch him anymore. But as if she sensed him, she greeted him with a tilt of her chin.  

There was a sound. Wait, something was different today. Owner was cuddling a ball of energy; it was washing over her fingers.

She called for Mate and as soon as she came to greet Owner, owner’s arms moved to reveal a tiny ball of fur. Mate let out a joyful shrill.

Owned grinned and handed her a small creature of black and white.

“She will never be able to replace Fluffers, but at least we get a new fur child and she gets a home.”

He didn’t understand the words, but a sombre silence followed. He pranced over and rubbed against their legs, each in turn. This always comforted them when he was corporeal.

The kitten met his eyes and he gave her a hello. She reciprocated.

“Wait! The kitchen window is open!”

“I got it!” Owner rushed to the kitchen, and he followed.

She closed the large window before Mate got in, running after the kitten who managed to wiggle from her grasp.  

“Just in time!” Mate laughed.

He soundlessly slipped through the now closed window.

Their new cat will watch over them now.

They wouldn’t have noticed him leave even if they could see him.

Enjoy them, kitten.